

r 



THE WOKLD IS AN OPEN BOOK 





SYSTEM 



OF 

D R A I N I >j G, &c. 



-A 



NEW AND EASY SYSTEM 

OF 

DRAINING AND RECLAIMING 

THE BOGS AND MARSHES 
OF IRELAND: 

WITH PLANS FOR IMPROVING WASTE 
LANDS IN GENERAL. 

TO WHICH ARE ADDED, 

MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS OF RECENT SURVEYS 
OF WOODS AND PLANTATIONS: 

ALSO 

AN EQUITABLE METHOD OF VALUING WOODS, PLANTATIONS, AND 
TIMBER TREES OF ALL AGES, WHEN SOLD WITH ESTATES. 



By ROBERT MONTEATH, 

!/ 

FORESTER TO HIS MAJESTY, DESIGNER AND VALUATOR OF WOODS 
AND PLANTATIONS, AUTHOR OF THE FORESTER's GUIDE, AND OTHER 
WORKS ON PLANTING AND REARING WOODS, &C. 



WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH: AND 
T. CADELL, STRAND, LONDON, 
M.DCCC.XXIX. 




EDINBURGH : i'RlNTED BY A BALFOUR AND CO. HIGH STREET. 



I 

I 



TO 



HIS EXCELLENCY 

THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND, 

LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND, 
&c. &c. &c. 

THE MUNIFICENT AND ENLIGHTENED PATRON 

OF AGRICULTURE AND SCIENCE ; 

THE FOLLOWING PRACTICAL TREATISE IS, 
BY PERMISSION, 

MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY HIS 

excellency's MOST FAITHFUL 

AND VERY HUMBLE SERVANT, 

ROBERT MONTEATH. 

Edinburgh, lOth June 1829. 



PREFACE. 



The Author of this volume, actuated by the stroog- 
est feeHngs and concern for kis country's prosperity, 
and emboldened by the high patronage and approba- 
tion bestowed by the principal landholders in the unit- 
ed kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on the 
First and Second Editions of his "Forester's Guide;" 
begs leave to lay before a discerning public the ad- 
ditional increase of his knowledge and experience 
in his profession. He makes no pretension to fine, 
or even correct writing, nor any claim to a classical 
or literary education which would have enabl- 
ed him to arrange his ideas more correctly, and 
present them in a dress which would ensure re- 
spect. But with these disadvantages he ventures to 
present this volume to the world, and fondly hopes. 



Vlll 



PREFACE. 



that many profitable pearls may be gathered from 
his rubbish. The incontrovertible facts here ad- 
vanced, are not deductions from his own or any 
man's theory 5 but the pure result of many years 
practical experience. Since the publication of the 
Forester's Guide, &c. &;c., he has had the honour to 
be extensively employed on many estates, both in 
Great Britain and Ireland. And he flatters him- 
self, that he has collected a very great additional 
stock of knowledge in his profession, and enriched 
his repository with such a valuable collection of 
facts, that their publicity, through the medium of 
this Miscellany, cannot fail of being highly interest- 
ing and useful to landed gentlemen. These will 
illustrate to a certainty, not only the very great ad- 
vantages arising from a judicious system of planting 
and rearing Woods, Plantations, and Timber Trees; 
but also the surest and speediest methods of obtain- 
ing this object in all kinds of soil. In this volume, 
the attentive reader will find the description of 
Plantations corresponding to every soil, and in 
every stage of the plant, from the Nursery to the 
full grown Timber Tree. It must be observed, 
that in making a selection of the various Woods, 
Plantations, &c. to answer the purposes intended, 
it w^as impossible to avoid repetitions. Still, they 
will be found to differ from each other in some par- 
ticular or other, and to apply to some Wood, Plan- 
tation, or Timber Tree, on every estate ; by care- 

4 



PREFACE. 



ix- 



f»lly comparing localities much knowledge and use- 
ftil instruction will be gained. It has been argued, 
tliat this will injure his own employment, as well 
as that of others in the Forestry. This he grants 
wdll be the case to a very considerable degree ; but 
in this he rejoices. He is not seeking solely his 
own gain, or the gain of any of his profession. He 
seeks the beauty, the prosperity and the utility of 
his native soil. He seeks the encouragement of 
industry, and the employment of the many sulFer- 
ing poor labourers in the country. He wishes to 
see every inch of useless land brought to advan- 
tage, and he will rejoice in seeing a noble profit 
brought to the treasury, and to the families of 
those public spirited gentlemen, who, as cultivators 
of unprofitable and unsightly lands, deserve well 
of their country, and shall ever hold the highest 
place in the estimation of the Author. 

My desire as an Author is to be useful, and by 
giving this volume to the public, my end 1 hope 
will more likely be gained, as it will extend far be- 
yond the sphere which I or any individual could 
reach. It may be said that many of the Planta- 
tions here treated of, are of a local nature, and only 
concern individual property. This is in many in- 
stances the case ; but in all cases w^here names are 
mentioned, it is only with a view to prove beyond 
dispute, the truth of the thing asserted, that he 
may say ** go there and see." And I most sincere* 



X 



PREFACE. 



ly hope, that such references will give no offence, 
as they are only used to verify the thing spoken of. 
Besides, I have the satisfaction of stating, that I 
have had the consent of the most of those noble- 
men and gentlemen whose names or places are here 
mentioned ; and I have endeavoured in all cases to 
avoid the names of places, &c. where I supposed 
the slightest offence would have been given by in- 
serting them. 

It will be seen that the leading object of this pub- 
lication is, in the first place, the improving of waste 
lands by a judicious system of planting and rear- 
ing Plantations ; in the second place, by improv- 
ing the pastures ; and in the third place, by draining 
the bogs, &c., and I hope it will be found in the se- 
quel that I have clearly made out the utility and 
immense profits arising from such systems of im-^ 
provement. This is beyond fair contradiction, 
and well deserves the pen of the most distin- 
guished talent. In this volume I have added se- 
veral new schemes of improving waste lands, the 
utility of which I hope will be justly appreciated. 
As my Letter to Mr. Secretary Peel is so much 
connected with the subject, I hope its insertion will 
not be deemed intrusive by any of my readers ; 
being fully of opinion, that the existence of so much 
waste land is a great disgrace to any kingdom, par- 
ticularly to such a wealthy, public spirited, and flour- 
ishing kingdom as Great Britain ; I most sincerely 



PREFACE. 



xi 



wish to see a fund raised for its improvement, and 
were I to sketch a plan for this end, I could not 
produce one of more certain and beneficial effects, 
than that of planting and otherwise improving its 
unprofitable wastes. If a subject so very obscure 
as the Author, might, with the profoundest respect, 
drop a hint to his most illustrious Sovereign, he 
would think the improvement of the uncultivated 
crown lands an object highly worthy of His Majes- 
ty's royal attention. In the crown lands at Stirling 
there are three acres of waste or unproductive land 
to one of every improved acre. These wastes do 
not bring ten shillings per acre in their present 
neglected state. Now, the whole of this land 
would carry oak, or any kind of timber trees to 
maturity, and from its vicinity to sea carriage, being 
within one mile of Stirling shore, it would pay in 
planting, at an average L.8 per acre of annual 
rent, in place of not paying ten shillings. But 
this is only a small, and indeed a very small por- 
tion of such crown lands, which I could under- 
take, in the course of a few years, to put into such 
a state as would fully realize the above estimate. 
The improvement of waste lands, to whomsoever 
belonging, is certainly an object highly worthy the 
attention of the British legislature. There is as 
much waste land in Britain and Ireland to improve, 
as in process of time would provide a fund sufficient 
to pay the national debt, or remain applicable to any 



xii 



PREFACE. 



Other purpose which the legislature might prefer. 
This, no person will deny who has attentively con- 
sidered the subject. We are told a great deal 
about the necessity of public economy, and I sup- 
pose it is this paltry economy that prevents us from 
hearing and seeing amongst the supplies voted, say 
" For the improvement of waste lands in Britain 
and Ireland, L. 100,000." In my opinion this boast- 
ed economy, which refuses to lay out tens to gain 
hundreds with certainty, is rather to be considered 
as a curse than a blessing to the country. Would 
it, (I respectfully ask,) be a breach of economy 
were our ministers to direct a vote of that na- 
ture every year, for some years, beginning with 
L.50,000 or L.80,000 in this time of general de- 
pression in trade ? In this way they could employ 
the overplus population at home, at an immense 
profit, instead of sending them out of the coun^ 
try, and that too by an outlay of only the same 
money, keeping besides the men in readiness for the 
navy, army, or manufactures, when a demand for 
them, or a revival in trade should come. 

I recollect the time when it was said, that the 
nation would be lost and ruined for want of popu- 
lation. The cry then was, " So many thousands 
are taken away during the war, what will become 
of the country ? Britain will be ruined for want of 
population, &c." Now, all the cry is, " Britain 
will be ruined by an over-population." I will ven^ 



PREFACE. 



ture to hazard the remark, that the more money 
government lays out in employing the operatives at 
home, the more rich will the government become, 
and the country the more thriving. The unem- 
ployed operatives can be carried with much less 
expense to the Highlands of Scotland, or to the 
unimproved lands of England and Ireland, and set 
down there with so much land to improve, than to 
set them down in Canada. For a stubborn proof 
of this, look to the Island of Islay. See what has 
been done by the worthy proprietor, Walter F. 
Campbell, Esq. of Islay and Shawfield, M. P. and 
his brother Captain Campbell. They some years 
ago encouraged a colony of operative weavers from 
Glasgow, — allotted a piece of uncultivated waste 
land to each of them. Now they present you with 
a beautiful clean thriving village. The rough parts 
of nature are turned into fertile gardens and pas- 
ture fields. Here too you will see what judicious 
management can effect in planting wastes. You 
are delighted with extensive and thriving planta- 
tions, where wood was never known to grow before. 
My opinion is, that the greater the population of 
any country is, if industrious, the more rich, strong, 
and independent will it become. I should hke to 
know who most deserves a statue, — the man who im- 
proves waste lands, beautifies and enriches the 
country by employing and encouraging an indus- 
trious population j or the man who conquers ^nd 
l^ys waste kingdoms. 



Xiv PREFACE. 

In my introduction to the survey of plantations 
as in pages 43, 44, 45, and 46, it will be seen that 
I recommend the propriety and great advantage of 
having the woods, &;c., on every estate surveyed, 
and plans for their future improvement laid down, 
and if these be minutely entered into, as I trust is 
the case with the different plantations mentioned, 
it will be found to give universal satisfaction. I 
hope also that the hint to Land-surveyors to do like- 
wise in their professional capacity will not be alto- 
gether thrown away. 



CONTENTS. 



Page 



Lbtter to the Right Honourable Robert Peel, on the means 

OF EMPLOYING THE OPERATIVES OF GrEAT BrITAIN AND IRELAND, 1 

Review of Mr. Secretary Peel's Letter, . . 6 

Queries from J. F. Burke, Esq. Greenwich, on establishing a forest, 12 
Survey of Mackroy Farms, Arg-yleshire, — immense profits from 
annual cuttings of Oak Coppice, in a Letter to W. M'Kinnon, 
Esq. Greenock, . . . .19 

On THE MEANS OF ASCERTAINING THE COMPARATIVE TANNING POWERS 

OF ALL KINDS OF BaRKS, . . . . 21 

Gratis Circular on Young Plantations, with their means of 
preservation in 1826, an unprecedented drought, . 32 

Layering-, an excellent method in very dry seasons, . 34? 

Winnowing Machine for drying crop in wet harvests, , 37 

Introduction to the Report of Plantations surveyed in Ire- 
land in 1826, ...... 41 

Deficiency of Agricultural improvements, and the great good that 
may be done by improving the waste lands in Ireland, by a ju- 
dicious system, ..... 42 

Immense advantages by having Plantations on eveiy Estate Sur- 
veyed, and a System of Improving them in future laid down, 43 

No. 1. Report of Plantations near the Approach Gate to Powers- 
court Mansion, ..... 43 

2. Clump opposite the Gate, . . . . 30 

3. Plantation within the Gate leading to the Mansion, 51 

4. Plantation. — Beech Grove on both sides of the Approach 

to the Mansion, .... 52 

Plan for thinning old trees, and preserving a crop on the 

ground, ...... ib. 

Best method to pollard trees in such places, . 55 

5. Large Trees along a private family walk, . 56 
Great disgrace to destroy or cut down old ornamental 

trees, . ... 57 

Apropos lines of the Poet, . . . .58 

Different management of young trees for ornament, 59 

Regret of a Proprietor when too late, . . , ib= 



xvi 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

Ko. 6. Silver Dale, — Beauties of old trees covered with ivy, 60 

7. A Young Plantation to be reared up for standing- trees, 61 

8. Field Trees, . . . . 62 

9. Large trees of Plane, Ash, and Ehn growing natural from 

the old stool in detached parks, . . 63 

Two common Willows or Saugh trees of extraordinary 
growth, — great profits from rearing such trees, — Dun- 
troon Castle, ..... 64? 

10. Island Mackasl<an, the property of Neill Malcolm, Esq. 

surrounded by the sea, . . .65 

Wonderful growth of trees on such exposui-e, . ib. 

11. A neglected Coppice Wood, . . 66 
Example of good results of thinning neglected Coppice 

Woods, .... 68 

12. Rearing up unenclosed Natural Stools, . . 69 
Example of immense profits from rearing up natural shoots 

for standing timber trees, with the cheapest method of 
enclosing such, in particular lands, . . 70 

The propriety and advantage of rearing vast quantities of 

trees for the Navy from all such natural stools, 72 
Supineness of Proprietors in not attending to their own 
interest in rearing trees of this description both as em- 
bellishments and value to their properties, . ib. 

13. From the late Lord Meadowbank's Instructions to Fores- 

ters, corresponding with the Author's ideas, . 73 

Statute of Henry VIII. as to leaving standards amongst 

Coppice, . . . . . 78 

Copy of Acts of Parliament regarding the destroying of 

trees, . . . ib. 

14. Great Chesnut Tree on Mount Etna, . . 81 
Fine Spanish Chesnut Trees at Inverary Castle, . 82 

15. Beautiful Old Scotch Firs on the Artificial KnoU, called 

Alexander M'Donald's Camp, . . 83 

16. Explanation of the Plates, ... 85 

17. Great utility of Roads or Rides through Woods, . 87 

18. Forester at no loss to discover a Proper Method of Im- 

provement, ..... 89 

Miserable state of a neglected Wood, with means for its 
recovery, . . . .90 

19. Trees in Fields or Single Rows, . . 92 

20. Injury of Growth of Trees by Sheep or Cattle getting in, 93 

21. Advantage of draining Woods and Woodlands, . ib. 

22. A Glen,— Plant Willow where damp and cannot be 

di-ained, ..... 94 



CONTENTS. 



xvii 



Page 



Great destruction by over-pruning- young liealtliy Trees, 
— a most niinous system, . . 95 

The planting and rearing of Trees of greater importance 
than even Proprietors themselves are apt to imagine, 98 

Office of a Forester on an Estate, of the very greatest re- 
sponsibility, ..... ib. 

Only men of ability should be intrusted vrith manage- 
ment and rearing of Woods, . . ib. 

Forester working' for the interest of his master's posteri- 
ty, for his King and country, . . ib. 

Great deliberation necessary before beginning to prune 
and thin a Plantation, . . 99 

No. 23. Field and Rows of Trees should stand for shelter, &c. 100 

24. Propriety of thinning Groves of Trees, . 101 

25. Pasture Land, ... . 102 

26. Meadow, — ruinous system of injudicious thinning, 103 

27. Belvidere, on the Estate of Balgone, Haddingtonshire, 104 
Craigmuir young Planting, ditto, . . 108 
New Scheme of covering unsightly ground by Trans- 
planting, . . . . . 110 

Plantation to be made in a Valley, Balgone, . Ill 
Beautiful Romantic Scenery here equal to the High- 
lands, . . . . . • ib. 

28. Round Stable Padock at Powerscourt, . 113 
Value of the Ash Tree, .... J 14, 

29. Racecourse Field, . . 1 15 

30. Misfortune of cutting old Trees out near a Mansion, 117 

31. Destroying Trees, by cutting large branches off, ib. 

32. Trees about a Garden, . . . jjS 

33. Cultivate Spanish Chesnut Trees for ornament, 119 

34. Exposed Bank, . . . .120 

35. Bank of Trees near Powerscourt House, . ib. 
Great natural curiosity of these Trees, . . 121 

36. Field Trees, when thinned, the roots should all be grub- 

bed out, ... . ib. 

37. Meadow much in want of thinning, . . . 122 

38. A Bank,— *keep up Evergreens, . . 123 

39. Bank of young Planting,— -cut out all unthrifty Trees, 

and drain, ..... 
Plant a triangular row of Spruce Firs, for shelter, &c. 124 

40. Young Planting, . . , .125- 

41. Young Plantation,— -Larch Fir not suitable for the soil, 126 
Planting on a very bare cold bleak exposed soil, . ib. 
Method of treatment on such situations, . .128 



xviii 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

No. 42. Powerscourt Wood or Deer Park, . . . 129 

Impropriety of careless planting, . . 130 

Cheap method of enclosing Trees or Plants, . ib. 

Expense of planting by such a system, . 131 

Great advantages of transplanting Trees, and making Pol- 
lards, ...... 132 

43. Wood or Deer Park, north side, . . . 133 

44. Powerscourt Glen Wood, . . . . 135 
Oak Coppice will pay L.20 per acre of yearly rent, if at- 
tended to in all such situations, . .136 

Trees in all such situations should always be converted 
into the most profitable systems, . . ib. 

45. Coppice Wood, — same Glen, . . . . 137 

46. Leackenderry Hill, in Ireland, . . . 138 
Immense profits from Natural Wood, . . 139 

47. Dai'gle Glen, Powerscourt, Ireland, ... ib. 
Method of thinning, to keep a crop on the ground, ib. 

48. Great Propriety of establishing a Nursery on all 

Estates, ..... 142 

49. Improving pastui*e Lands, . . . 143 
Want of clothing a great grievance to the operatives of 

Ireland, . . . ib. 

A remedy for this grievance, . . 144 

Example from the Scotch Highlanders, . ib. 

Draining and Biproving the Bogs and Marshes of Ireland, 149 
Draining these Marshes within themselves where it is impossible 

to get a free level, without a prohibitory expense, . 151 
Expense, method of cropping, manuring and Rental, . 154 
Manuring and keeping in a productive state all such Lands, 157 
Expense of this System of draining, realized in three years 

with a profit, . . . . 160 

By draining the Bogs for cropping, by improving the pastui'e 
Land and planting the waste Lands of Ireland, will be the 
best Poor Laws, and the best Emigration Laws that could 
be introduced into Ireland, . . . 162 

No. 50. Planting exceedingly bare lands in Berwickshire, 164 

51. Wood Park, Linlithgowshire, . . .166 

52. Stripes and Belts in a very bleak part of the country, 169 

53. Some kind of Stripes in another part of the country, 170 
A proper system of improving all such, . 172 

54. A young Plantation, . . , . 174 

55. Old Coppice, . ... 176 

56. Trees in approach to the House, . . 177 



CONTENTS. 



xix 



Page 



No. 57. Treatment of a young* Plantation, . . 179 

58. Ditto . Stripe, . . 180 

59. Home Plantation near the Mansion, . . 181 

60. General Remarks on the Plantations from No. 55, 183 

61. Treatment of old Fir Wood, ... 186 

62. Stripe of planting on a road side, . . 189 

63. Treatment of a young Plantation, . . 190 

64. Old Plantation exposed to the Western Ocean, . 191 

65. Culnashennaig Farm, Argylesbire, . . 195 

66. Barnegaul and Gloster Farms, Kintarbert Estate, Argyle- 

shire, . . . . . 198 

67. A North and West Belt, . . . 199 

68. Fann on Dumfries Estate, Ayrshire, . . 201 

69. Young Planting, Dumfries Estate, Ayi-shire, . 202 

70. Fir Plantation, Ross-shire, . . 203 
Letter on the weight and tanning principles of the Turkey Oak 

Bark, .... 207 

Fine Spanish Chesnut Tree at Riccarton, an incontrovertible 

proof of the layering system, . . . 209 

Spanish Chesnut Tree at Preston Grange, . . .211 

Proof of layering by a prolific Spruce Fir Tree on the estate of 

Braco, Perthshire, . . . . .212 

Danhail Moss, as referred to in the draining system, . 215 

Narrow stripes of planting, . . . . 217 

Belts and stripes of planting made profitable as well as ornamental, ib. 
Planting a very critical spot on the estate of Whitehall, Berwick- 
shire, ..... 220 
An Equitable Method of valuing Woods, Plantations and 

TiarBER Trees when to be Sold with Estates, , 223 



XX 



CONTENTS. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 

Plate I. The great Chesnut Tree on Mount Etna, see No. 14?, 

pag-e 81, . . .85 

Plate 11. Figure 1, To represent a Pollard, . . ib. 

^— Figure 2, To represent the converting growths of Natu- 
ral Stools into timber trees, . . . .86 

— — — Figure 3, A Coppice Stool properly cut and thinned in 

time, . . . ib. 

' Figure 4, A Coppice Stool of Oak cut and dressed in the 
old system, .... ib. 

Figure 5, Something of the same kind, . * ib. 

■ Figure 6, A representation of an unprotected tree, ib. 

Plate III. Spanish Chesnut at Riccarton— To face title page, 209 



ERRATUM. 

Page 235, line 11 from bottom, /or tenant read proprietor 



LETTER 

TO 

THE RIGHT HON. ROBERT PEEL, 

SECRETARY OF STATE, 

ON THE MEANS OF EMPLOYING THE UNEMPLOYED OPERA- 
TIVES OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND; ALSO OF AF- 
FORDING A SECURE AND IMMENSE RETURN TO GOVERN- 
MENT FOR THE OUTLAY. 

Sir, 

There are of unimproved lands, in Scotland 
alone, 14,218,224 acres ; triple that quantity in 
Ireland; and nearly as much in England. One 
half of which, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, 
can be improved by planting, and will carry trees 
to maturity ; the greater part of such land, parti- 
cularly in the Highlands of Scotland, and many 
parts of England and Ireland also, lie contiguous to 
arms of the sea, which afford facility for exporta- 
tion at little expense. I could point out thousands 
of acres of such land that is not paying the pro- 
prietors one shilling per acre, and every acre of it 
will grow excellent timber, with only the expense 
of enclosing and planting. 

Supposing government to become feuars of such 
lands, say to the amount of 10,000 acres, less or 

B 



2 



more, in England, Scotland, and Ireland ; this 
V would employ, in enclosing and planting in the 
three kingdoms, upwards of 30,000 people ; but 
. supposing that to be done gradually, fewer or more 
people could be employed as necessity required. 
That there are thousands of acres in these coun- 
tries that are capable of being improved in this 
way no one will deny ; and the improving . of 
these lands in our own country, in the first place, 
is of far more national importance than to improve 
waste lands in a foreign country, and at a great ex- 
pense to protect ; for, by improving by planting 
the waste lands at home, it will not only beau- 
tify, shelter, and enrich the whole country, but will 
secure to government in a short time an ample 
supply of oak timber for the navy, at one shilling 
per foot, in place of paying five shillings and six 
shillings for it as at present, and from a foreign 
country ; and besides, were the foreign supply cut 
off by a war, there is not full grown timber in this 
country to supply the demand for two years. That 
the profits would be immense to government by 
such a system of planting, &c. the following will 
show, of which I am ready to give proof, were it 
necessary : The lands I refer to could be feued at 
from six to ten shillings per acre. 

Supposing 100 acres to be planted and reared 
solely for profit, four feet plant from plant, the ex- 
pense of enclosing and planting, (taking into con- 
sideration the inexperience of the workmen em- 
ployed,) allow one shilling and eightpence per day 
each man, will cost L.IO per acre ; although I am 
aware it can be done for much less. 



At this rate 100 acres will cost. L.IOOO 0 0 

Rent of 100 acres at 10/ per acre 

annually, is L.50, which extended 

for 20 years, makes 1000 0 0 

Interest on the outlay at 5 per cent. 

for 20 years 1000 0 0 

Supposing interest on the rent for 

20 years 200 0 0 

To superintending and expense in 

the rearing for 20 years 1000 0 0 



Total outlay for 20 years L.4200 0 0 

The thinnings at 10 and 15 years 
will be at least, after reducing 
the number of trees to 1000 on 
each acre L.500 0 0 

Trees left, only supposing them 2/ 
per tree, wood and bark, which 
will be rather under the true 

value 10,000 0 0 

10500 0 0 



Total profit of 100 acres in 20 years L.OSOO 0 0 



Again, supposing the whole to be cut over at the 
end of 20 years, being oak, it grows up without 
any expense, and will pay regularly every SO years 
after, a much larger sum ; but should it be reared 
up to the age of 50, or to 100 years, to maturity 
for naval timber, &c« it will pay much better, and 
the crop equally secure. It is a well authenticated 
fact, that woods, judiciously planted and reared, 
will pay an annual rental of from L.6 to L.IO per 
acre. Having been in most of the sea-port towns 
in Ireland lately, I learned from good authority, 
that the annual importation of foreign oak bark 
into that country amounts to 10,000 tons, as much 



4 



into Scotland, and I should suppose twice that 
quantity into England. Now, supposing that no 
more than was necessary for home consumption 
was reared yearly in these kingdoms, it would yield, 
at the average prices of oak bark for some years 
back, the sum of L.400,000 sterling, and its ma- 
nufacture would employ, from April to September, 
20,000 labourers at least, and 5,000 constantly ; 
the profits of this alone divided amongst 100 land- 
ed proprietors in each of the three kingdoms would 
employ a vast number of people ; and supposing 
their wood lands divided into 20 cuttings, and cut 
annually, would give them a very handsome yearly 
return. 

I am aware that many proprietors of this kind 
of land have not the means of the first outlay at 
their command ; but if government do it, to a 
larger or smaller extent than that first proposed, 
and carry the produce as timber trees to maturity, 
the profits would be beyond what I have already 
stated. Even were a joint-stock company to em- 
bark in this plan, I should suppose it worthy the 
British government to be at the head of it ; the 
king, the prince, the noblemen, the gentlemen, 
every landed proprietor, and every lover of his 
country, to be members thereof. By giving the 
proprietor, whose land is taken or feued, an inte- 
rest in the concern, by allowing the rents to lie 
over for 20 or more years, he would then become 
a considerable owner, and would have, bj this 
means, a particular interest in seeing it properly 
managed. That all kinds of timber equal, and 
many kinds superior to foreign timber can be rear- 



5 



ed in this country when properly attended to, no 
one will deny. The more fully to explain all this, 
I send you a copy of my " Forester's Guide, and 
Profitable Planter," pubHshed in 1824, which, if 
your time will permit you to glance over the intro- 
duction, &c. it will prove what I have here stated. 
Should these few hints, which I am convinced would 
do good if put in practice, be of any use to you in 
the present very trying state of the country, I shall 
bein readiness, should you require it, to make a state- 
ment of the expense that timber can be reared at, 
from the nursery to the naval shipbuilding yard ; 
also, all kinds of timber for other purposes ; and at 
all times ready to give any farther explanation. 

I have the honour to remain. 
Sir, 

Your most obedient, and very faithful Servant, 
ROBERT MONTEATH. 

Stirling y 2th September 1826. 

P. S. — The sum paid by Great Britain and Ire- 
land for foreign bark is very considerable, as is 
plain from the above Letter ; but is almost no- 
thing when compared with that paid for timber, 
there being no less than L.l, 500,000 sterHng paid 
annually by Britain and Ireland for foreign timber ; 
this immense sum, which is provable from unex- 
ceptionable authority, need by no means stagger 
the belief of any one who for a moment considers 
the great number of large vessels constantly em- 
ployed in importing timber. The one-half of that 
sum would employ annually and regularly all the 



6 



unemployed Operatives, and improve all the waste 
lands of Great Britain and Ireland, and keep them 
always employed, although the population was even 
much more numerous, and thus keep the strength 
of the nation for the day of battle, both as to men 
and means within herself — The above Postscript 
was not in the original Letter, 

It may not be uninteresting to our readers to give 
the following Review of the above Letter, taken 
from the Edinburgh Star Newspaper, 1826 : 

PLANS FOR EMPLOYING THE PEOPLE. 

Mr. MoNTEATH, author of " The Forester's 
Guide," and other works on the subject of Plant- 
ing, has has sent us a copy of a Letter, which he has 
addressed to Mr. Peel, on the means of giving oc- 
cupation to all the unemployed workmen in Great 
Britain and Ireland, and of affording at the same 
time a secure and immense return to government 
for their outlay. " There are,'' he states, of 
waste unimproved lands in Scotland alone, 
14,218,224 acres ; triple that quantity in Ireland ; 
and nearly as much in England. About one-half 
of the whole will carry wood, and lie so contiguous 
to the sea as to afford every facility for its exporta- 
tion. Now, supposing Government to become feu- 
ars of 10,000 acres of these lands, this would em- 
ploy, in enclosing and planting, upwards of 30,000 
people. Any quantity of the lands referred to 
could be feued at from 6s. to 10s. per acre — and 
on 100 acres the cost of the whole process would, 
therefore, be nearly as follows : 



7 



Expense of enclosing, plants, planting, and wages to 

workmen at Is. 8d. per day, L.IO per acre, — or L.IOOO 

Rent fey 20 years, at most - - - - lOOO 

Interest on the outlay for 20 years - - J 000 

Interest on the rent for 20 years - - 200 

To superintending the rearing for 20 years - 1000 

The total outlay for ^0 years, would, therefore, 
amount at the utmost to only L.4200 ; while the 
thinnings at 10 and 15 years, would, after reducing 
the trees to 1000 on each acre, bring at least L.500 
— and the trees left, only valuing them at 2s. each, 
wood and bark, at the end of the experiment, 
L. 10,000 more. The total profits on the 100 acres, 
in 20 years, would thus amount to L.6,300. 
" Supposing the whole," proceeds Mr. Monteath, 
" to be cut over at the end of 20 years, being oak, 
it grows up without any expense of planting, and 
will pay regularly every 20 years after, a much 
larger sum ; but, supposing it to be reared up to 
the age of 50 or 100 years, to maturity for navy 
timber, &c. it will pay much better, and the crop 
will be equally secure. It is a well authenticated 
fact, that woods, judiciously planted and reared, 
will pay an annual rental of from L.6 to L.IO per 
acre. Having been in most of the sea-port towns 
in Ireland lately, I learned from good authority 
that tlie annual importation of foreign oak bark 
into that country, amounts to 10,000 tons; as 
much into Scotland, and, I should suppose, twice 
that quantity into England. Now, supposing that 
no more than was necessary for home consumption 
were reared yearly in these kingdoms, it would 



8 



yield at the average prices of oak bark for some 
years past, the sum of L.400,000 sterling, and its 
manufacture would employ from April to Septem- 
ber, 20,000 labourers at least, and 5,000 con- 
stantly throughout the whole year." 

We do not perceive, for our own parts, that there 
exists any good or formidable objection to the 
practicability of this plan, except that which arises 
from the large outlay that would be required, in 
the first instance, on the part of Government. 
This, however, is a difficulty which belongs, at 
least in an equal degree, to every other method 
which have been proposed for giving employment 
to our surplus population. The most magnificent 
of all the devices that have been suggested for this 
purpose, that of Colonization, cannot be effected 
without a national expenditure of alarming magni- 
tude. Lord Elgin's Trenching system, again, 
which we noticed a few weeks ago, proceeds in 
the like manner upon the supposition of a public 
contribution — the benefit of which, however, are, 
in that case, to go to the paupers and the landed 
proprietors of the country exclusively. Last of 
all, Mr. Lindsay's scheme for recovering land from 
the sea, and in that way as it were enlarging the 
territory and augmenting the resources of the king- 
dom, can, no more than that of any of his brother 
projectors, be carried into execution without im- 
mediate and considerable outlay. The final ob- 
ject contemplated by each of the experiments pro- 
posed may be ample and sure remuneration ; but 
ail of them begin by a demand upon us for heavy 



9 



payments, as the condition upon which alone they 
promise us their golden profits. 

If such a crisis then has really at last overtaken 
us, that something must be done at the general 
cost to rid the country of its surplus population, 
we see not why these plans of Mr. Monteath and 
Mr. Lindsay should not, at least, receive their 
share of public patronage as well as others that 
may have a similar end in view. They both of 
them possess certain advantages over even that of 
Emigration, inasmuch as they may probably be 
put in operation at a considerably smaller expense, 
while, at the same time, instead of sending our 
peasantry and artizans abroad, to find a subsistence 
among strangers, they would retain them, at least, 
for a time, in the land of their birth, and amid the 
society of their kinsmen. Why should not the 
two processes of relief go on together? That 
which aims at bringing the resources of the coun- 
try up to the necessities of the population, would 
only both assist and be assisted by the other, whose 
object it is to bring down the amount of the popu- 
lation to the capacity of the country. The end of 
each is, in truth, only to reach in a different way 
from the other, the same point of right and com- 
fortable adjustment. The one would suit the wishes 
of those of our countrymen who prefer the home 
of their fathers to a foreign shore ; while the other 
would form an outlet of escape for those more ad- 
venturous spirits, who see, in the unoccupied ex- 
panse of a new country the proper sphere for their 
enterprise and activity to figure in. The effect of 
the one as well as of the other, would just be, in so 



10 



far at least, to lift from off the groaning soil the 
burthen of its starving population. 

One thing is never to be forgotten, in reference 
to aiij plan that may be proposed for the employ- 
ment of the people. It is not, in fact, employment 
that is wanted for its own sake, but employment as 
a means of creating subsistence merely. This is 
the test by which we ought to try the pretensions 
of every project that may be suggested in refer- 
ence to this matter. We have already applied the 
principle in question to Lord Elgin's trenching 
scheme. If the return arising from that operation 
will not pay the cost occasioned by it, it were merely 
to throw away so much of the national funds, or the 
public charity, to contribute any sum of money for 
its encouragement. If the effect of expending in 
that way an additional pound sterling upon every 
acre, shall merely be to raise an additional ten 
shillings worth of produce, we should certainly act 
far more wisely in at once devoting our money to 
the purchase of double that quantity of produce 
abroad. We should not in that manner certainly 
give employment to so many of our countrymen, 
but what is much better, we should give subsistence 
to twice as many of them. Just in a similar way 
do we estimate the value of these schemes of Mr. 
Monteath and Mr. Lindsay. It is not because it 
would set a working so many thousands or tens of 
thousands of our idle population, that we would 
have our waste lands planted ; but simply because 
the real value of the work would more than pay 
the cost of it ; and would thus enable us to give to 
our operatives bread for their mouths, as well as 



11 



mere occupation for their hands. And as for the 
land which Mr. Lindsay proposes to recover from 
the sea, it is obvious that it will only be a real ac- 
cession to the resources of the kingdom, if it shall 
be able to produce a certain quantity of grain for a 
smaller sum of money than would suffice to procure 
an equal quantity in any other way. If the scheme 
do not promise this much at least, it is worth no- 
thing. It could never, of course, be expected that 
government should devote any part of the public 
money to so preposterous an enterprize, as that 
would be, of cultivating land, obtained either in 
this way or in any other, at a greater expense than 
the produce promised to repay. Mr. Lindsay, we 
do not doubt, at least believes himself abundantly 
able to prove that the plan he has laid before the 
public does not involve any such absurdity as we 
are here referring to. 

The late Lord Meadowbank, in his interesting 
publication in 1815, has the following very spirited 
and judicious remark : — " Were the Highland pro- 
prietors to set about establishing a proper cultiva- 
tion in their vast domains, they would soon be amply 
rewarded by the rising value of their property ; 
and would no longer suffer the disgrace of urging 
emigration, by their short-sighted projects of im- 
provement, that high-spirited and noble race of 
men, who, by their intrepidity and self-devotement 
to national glory, have raised their reputation to a 
level with Spartan fame." I wonder what his 
Lordship would now have said on the proposed 
plan of emigration, while there is still such a want 



12 

of improving spirit amongst the proprietors of the 
waste lands of Scotland and Ireland/* 



QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 

The following Queries were sent me for Replies hy J, F. 
Burke, Esq. Greenwich. It was not till after I had 
replied to them that I understood their design was to 
establish a Joint Stock Planting Company. I consi- 
dered it for the use of private property, and answered 
them as intended for some large landed proprietor'^s 
estate. 

Query 1. — The plan to be pursued in establish- 
ing a general Nursery of Forest Trees for all the 
soils, with the time and probable expense ? 

Answer. — There are three different soils men- 
tioned in your Letter ; but as the climate and si- 

* I am of opinion his Lordship would say : Let the British Govern- 
ment improve their waste lands and populate the thousands of miles 
of almost desolate countries at home in the first place. I recollect 
the time when passengers and goods were often six or eight days be- 
twixt Greenock and Rothsay, about 20 miles ; now the conveyance is 
four times a day, and not above two hours. By the detention of a 
Packet, I once paid threepence for the twopenny loaf at Inverary. In 
these times many places of the Highlands of Scotland were not worth 
-cultivating ; but now the conveyance by steam vessels to all parts of 
the Highlands and Islands of Scotland has greatly altered the case, 
and immensely advanced the value of property, which by a due at- 
tention to cultivation, would employ many thousands of the labouring 
population, and greatly enrich the proprietors. 



13 



tuation may be nearly the same ; two roods, say 
half an acre, will be sufficient to rear plants of 
every description for planting 100 acres annually, 
if once established ; to effect which, select a nur- 
sery as near a-kin to the different soils as possible ; 
to save expense of enclosing*, one spot may do for 
the whole ; which, in the first place must be pro- 
perly enclosed, not only to keep out cattle and 
sheep, but game of every kind. For this purpose, 
a stone fence is the most permanent, safest, and 
speediest brought to be effectual. If stones could 
be got in the neighbourhood, a fence of five feet 
high would be sufficient, and could be done at 
from 6s. to 7s. 6d. per rood of 18 feet. Next to 
this, is a hedge, and paling to protect it, as it can- 
not be a fence without it ; it will cost from 4s. to 
6s. per rood ; but requires a little yearly cleaning 
and keeping. The ground should be trenched over 
during the summer months, and properly prepared 
for receiving the seed or seedlings early in spring. 
I would recommend filling it with seedHngs, as 
being both cheaper and easier managed ; about 
L.lOO will fill it up at first, with a sufficient num- 
ber of seedlings, and from L.40 to L.50 for seed- 
lings annually, will keep a sufficient quantity of 
every description for planting out 100 acres year- 
ly. Thus a sufficient number of plants of every 
description may be obtained for planting 100 acres, 
at an expense not exceeding 10s. per acre. 

Query II. — Three different enumerations of the 
plants most proper for each soil. The expense of 
planting and fencing in large enclosures. The 



14 



probable period and value of the thinnings, and the 
annual charges of management; this calculation 
being with a view to ascertain the earliest probable 
return from the soil ? 

Answer. — On light sandy soils, the larch and 
the spruce, of the fir tribe, can be reared, and will 
come to maturity as timber trees. If the sub-soil 
is of light sand and not very deep, and turning to 
clay below, the Scotch elm, ash, and plane, of 
the hard wood tribe, will come to maturity as tim- 
ber trees ; and the oak for coppice, if the soil is 
once made by the larch firs, as described in my 
Forester's Guide, will do extremely well when 
properly managed. On the gravelly clays, &c. 
the oak, Spanish chesnut, and the Scotch elm 
(which is next to the oak, and is used for ship- 
building,) will come to maturity as timber trees. 
After the nursery is estabhshed, the expense of 
plants and planting each acre with all kinds, will 
be from S2s. to 30s. The expenses of enclosing 
will be as in reply to Query First ; say from 6s. to 
7s. 6d. if with stone ; and hedge, &c. from 4s. 6d. 
to 6s. per rood. If the plantation be in large clus- 
ters, the enclosing will be very trifling per acre ; if 
they are detached in small clusters, the expense 
will be the greater ; but the exact expense will be 
easily ascertained by measuring the line of fence 
round the different plantations. I have, however, 
seen some plantations, when of considerable ex- 
tent, enclosed at the rate of 5s. per acre ; there is 
often a great saving by judiciously laying off the 
enclosures. The nursery, enclosing the wood- 



15 



land, and planting, will require a proper skilful 
manager to superintend the work, &c. which will 
cost at least L.60 annually. If a plantation of firs, 
should the situation be much exposed, they must be 
planted at distances of four feet, plant from plant ; 
at ten years, thinned out to eight feet, which sup- 
pose wholly of larch, as the bark is in considera- 
ble request, will bring, after paying the expense of 
thinning, from L.5 to L.7 per acre ; at twenty 
years, thinned out to sixteen feet, at which dis- 
tance larch may stand till forty years old 5 which 
thinnings at twenty years, will pay at least 
per acre. As it is to be understood the worst and 
dwarfish trees are always to be taken, the crop on 
the ground at twenty years will be worth fully that 
amount. At forty years old, when the larch firs 
is fit for almost any purpose as timber, and if the 
growths are ordinary good, will average at least 
twenty feet a tree, will be worth L.300 per acre. 
If planted with oaks, to be converted into a natu- 
ral oak coppice, cut over from the plant at fifteen 
years old ; supposing oak bark to sell at L.14 per 
ton, the first cutting will bring from L.30 to L.40 
per acre ; and for every twenty or twenty-four 
years after cuttings, from L.lOO or L.150 per 
acre. This may vary a little according as the 
ground may not in every acre of it carry the num- 
ber of plants, trees, or stools without blanks. By 
having yearly cuttings, very ordinary wood-lands 
will pay an annual rent of from L.5 to L.IO per 
acre, from natural oak, for any length of time 
without the expense of planting, but keeping good 
the fences, — and firs by planting every forty years. 



16 



Query III.~The probable value of the standing 
timber at distant periods, specifying those at which 
it would be the fittest for the naval yards ? 

Answer. — To rear timber for the naval yards ; 
having planted oak, Spanish chesnut, and Scotch 
elm, the only kinds in general use for the navy, 
at eight feet distant, plant from plant ; at fifteen 
years, thin out to sixteen feet, taking care always 
to take out the worst of the plants or trees, dress- 
ing up the roots or stools of those cut for the 
growth. The timber and bark produced from the 
cuttings at this time will pay from L.7 to L.IO per 
acrej at thirty years old, thin out to thirty-two 
feet, tree from tree, always dressing up the cut- 
tings for the growth ; the thinnings at thirty years 
will pay at least L.25 per acre. The trees at thir- 
ty-two feet may be reared up to eighty years old, 
when they will be good timber trees fit for shipbuild- 
ing, say from one to two tons of timber each. It 
may be here proper to observe, that many of the 
growths from the trees cut over at fifteen years of 
age, will at the age of forty have made more pro- 
gress than those from the original plant ; so that 
some of them may be reared with greater advan- 
tage and propriety as shipbuilding timber trees, and 
can also be made to grow more crooked if attended 
to. By this method a crop of shipbuilding timber 
trees fit for naval purposes, can, after the first sixty 
years, be always kept upon the ground ; at the 
same time, when the plantations are of any extent, 
even granting it were only one hundred acres less 
or more, a part can be always cut down every year 
for the naval yards j and part of them reared up 

1 



17 



without any expense of replanting, perpetually. 
The value of an acre of oak, Spanish chesnut, and 
elm trees, as above, at sixty years old, may be 
fairly reckoned at or nearly L.400 ; besides, the 
cuttings from the natural under-wood will have 
paid a rent of not less than L.3 per acre annually, 
leaving always a crop of timber trees fit for naval 
purposes rearing on the ground, reckoning the tim- 
ber, including bark of such trees, at five shillings 
per cubical foot ; but this price may vary a little 
according as the locality of the plantation may be 
to a market or sea carriage. 

Having given you a statement of the probable 
expense of planting, rearing, and reaping of an 
acre in its different stages, it will serve for any 
number of acres, on such soils, &c* 

N. B. — If there are neither stones nor timber on 
the estate, or in the neighbourhood fit for enclos- 
ing, the most economical method would be to plant 
immediately (although the plants were to be 
bought in,) a few acres wholly with larch firs ; 
or if in marshy or wet places, with the common 
willow, as these will come up in the course of a 
very short time, to afford a sufficient supply of pal- 
ing, for enclosing 500 acres, year after year. If 
necessary to have recourse to this method of en- 
closing, the larch may be planted at two feet six 
inches, and the willows at two feet, plant from 
plant. I have known willows fit for paling in 
three, and larch in six years. If recourse is to be 
had wholly to a wooden fence, the paling recom- 
mended in my Forester's Guide will be found the 
most sufficient, permanent, and cheapest. I have 

c 



18 



been using cast-iron bolts, which I find astonish- 
ingly cheap, and ultimately serve the purpose 
equally well. 

Sir, — I now send you a Reply to the Queries in 
your Letter of the 22d February, which, however 
trifling, I am sorrow to say, from my engagements 
on differents estates through Scotland preparatory 
to sales this spring, where my personal attendance 
was necessary, it was impossible to answer sooner, 
and will be extremely sorry if my delay has re- 
tarded your operations of planting for a single mo- 
ment, which is of such infinite importance and va- 
lue ; and from the increasing prosperity of the Bri- 
tish nation, the demand and rise in price holds out 
such cheering prospects to landed proprietors. You 
will easily perceive that in less than forty years, the 
crop on the ground will be of more value than the 
land it occupies, and pay a fair rent for the land 
after the first ten years. I will be most ready to 
supply you with any farther information from time 
to time on the subject. I am, 
Sir, 

Your most obedient Servant, 

R. M. 

Stirling, N. B. 
19th April 18^5. 

To John F. Burke, Esq. Greenwich, Kent, 



19 



A REPL Y toa requeH made two years after the 
Survey had heen taken, when the Farms were to 
he sold. 

Sir, — Having only this day had it in my power 
to lay my hands on the Notes of my Survey, &c. 
of the Woods and Wood-lands of the farms of 
Mackroy, and East and West Irons, the property 
of John M*Farlane, Esq. on Lochfine Side, Argyle- 
shire, I find there is of enclosed and unenclosed 
wood-lands, chiefly covered with oak and birch, 
200 acres ; (I beg to say by the way, that with 
great propriety and advantage more could be add- 
ed.) The wood-lands on these farms are equal, 
both as to soil and situation, to the verv best in 
Scotland, and will be as productive of wood and 
bark at twenty years old, as many natural woods 
will be at twenty-five years. Supposing these two 
hundred acres converted wholly into oak coppice, 
(for which purpose it only requires the blanks to 
be filled up with oak, and the trash extirpated,) 
and divided into twenty hags or cuttings, making 
ten acres to cut annually. At twenty years old, 
the coppice wood and bark, even allowing bark 
to keep its present low price, will yield at least 
L.50 per acre, say L.500 annually ; and suppose 
forty reserve or maiden trees to be reared up on 
each acre to the age of two cuttings, keeping al- 
ways a regular succession of forty on each acre 
amongst the coppice ; these will be worth at least 
L.2 per tree, which at every second cutting will 
be worth L.80 more per acre j but to reduce the 



20 



whole to an average, it will produce L.90 per acre 
annually, which will be L.900 sterling of yearly 
income in succession, without any expense of plant- 
ing, excepting one person as forester, say at L^40 
yearly; while the bark, &c. from the thinnings 
will nearly pay his wages. If you take the locality 
of these farms into consideration, where the whole 
of the yearly produce of these barks can be dis- 
posed of to the fishermen at a fourth more price 
than to tanners ; it will bring in a very considera- 
ble sum more than the above. If you consult the 
Reports of the produce of the Duke of Montrose's 
Coppice Woods, and many others, you will see 
there I am rather, and that too considerably, under 
than above the annual produce ; besides, the Duke 
of Montrose and others pay, from many places of 
their woods, twenty-five shillings per ton, to take 
the barks to a shipping place ; whereas the barks 
from the above farms can be shipped for two shil- 
lings per ton.* As the soil of these farms will 
carry timber trees to maturity, and from its beau- 
tiful situation it could be rendered particularly con- 
spicuous and interesting as a gentleman's family 
residence, were a few acres of the wood-lands laid 
off for a cottage and garden, and standing orna- 
mental trees reared about it ; this would infinitely 
beautify and immensely add to its value, even 50 
per cent, more than the intrinsic value of the cot- 
tage and trees, by making it so interesting in the 
eyes of thousands of strangers passing and repass- 
ing this estate by steam navigation ; also, a very 

* Locality to water carriage is of the greatest consequence in rearing 
woods. 



21 



few small clusters of ever-greens planted on the 
high knolls would greatly ornament it. 

The intrinsic value of the crop on the ground at 
present, with the exception of the reserve trees, 
may be considered as not great ; but when consi- 
dered as stools of trees already on the ground that 
will stand cutting and grow for ages, and as inse- 
parably attached to the ground in so far as the oak 
stools go, may be, and that very reasonably, esti- 
mated at per acre. 

I am, 

SiK, 

Your most obedient Servant, 
R. M. 

Stirling^ ^tJi January 18 ^7. 
To A. M'KiNNON, Esq. Writer, Greenock, Factor. 



On the means of ascertaining the comparative tan- 
ning powers of all hinds of Barks, 

" Dublin, October, 1824. 
" My highly and justly esteemed friend, Mr Par- 
NELL, of Sackville Street, Dublin, who, it is well 
known is indefatigable in every thing good and 
praiseworthy, stands in need of no comment from 
my pen, sent me the following Treatise on ascertain- 



iiig the degree of astringency or tanning strength 
in all kinds of bark, which cannot fail to be of very 
great importance to dealers in that article, parti- 
cularly to tanners ; as by this means they can in a 
few hours ascertain the different degrees of strength 
in all kinds of bark, of course come at once at its 
real value ; a thing hitherto unknown but by the 
long and tedious process of tanning : — 

Of all the manufactures which depend on 
chemistry for explanation and improvement, that 
of leather, though highly favoured by the atten- 
tion of scientific men, is still, perhaps, most in need 
of their aid. 

Notwithstanding Seguin's happy discovery of 
the chemical affinity betw^een tan and gelatine, 
which promised to introduce something like analy- 
tic certainty into his art, the practical tanner is yet 
unable to estimate the goodness of any bark (pre- 
vious to its actual use,) otherwise than by its ex- 
ternal characters. He depends wholly on the col- 
our, taste, and the healthy brittleness, which in 
many cases requires an experienced eye to distin- 
guish it from the brittleness produced by decay. 
By the mere appearance he may indeed discrimi- 
nate between sound and unsound bark of the same 
species ; but when both are fresh and healthy, or 
of different kinds, (for instance, valonia and cork 
tree bark,) his eye and tongue no longer assist him 
in determining the proportioned worth of either. 

Any method therefore which would enable the 
tanner to ascertain with speed and certainty the com- 
parative value of astringents, (of which the market 
always affords a striking variety) by the examina* 



tion of samples, previous to purchase, would be a 
great step towards rendering his business safe, con- 
sistent, and regularly profitable ;* and would, no 
doubt, be the means of introducing general im- 
provements into every branch of the manufacture. 

" To arrive at this is the object of the present 
essay," 

^ « * * 

[Here follow some pages of discussion on modes 
of valuation formerly proposed, of more interest to 
the scientific chemist than the manufacturer. We 

go at once to the matter of mercantile importance.] 

* * « * 

*' In endeavouring to strike out an unexception- 
able process for the use of tanners, and complete 
this test in the spirit of utility in which Sir H. 
Davy had first conceived it, I found it necessary to 
take a different path from that pursued by Proust 
and TromsdorfF, who endeavoured by the action of 
reagents to deprive tan of the various matters na- 
turally combined with it, and which essentially 
modify its action in every case hitherto brought 
under our notice. Now, the test required ought 
to resemble in its action, that which takes place in 
a tanner's pit ; for if the mode of trial adopted 
differ materially in principle from the manufactu- 
ring process which it is framed to aid, any estimate 
of the value of astringents found on it will be se- 
riously in error. For instance, a tanner's profit 

* A friend assures rae, that valonia (which is now much in demand 
amongst tanners at L.28 a ton) was offered to them from Italy, thirty 
years ago, in any quantity, at L.4 a ton, but in vain ; they then had 
no means of ascertaining its value experimentally. 



24 



chiefly depends on the increase of weight which a 
hide acquires during the process that converts it 
into leather. This in strong (sole) leather is gene- 
rally one-third of the dry weight ; or, what tanners 
are more accustomed to calculate on in Ireland, 
the finished leather is half the weight of the hide 
when fresh from the slaughter-house. The ex- 
tractive matter forms an important part of this 
weight, and therefore, any test which the manu- 
facturer might apply to ascertain the tanning power 
of an astringent material, and which acted only on 
pure tan, would completely mislead him. 1 am 
inclined to think that any gallic acid present is also 
absorbed by the skin. In spent ouze the power of 
striking black precipitates with solutions of iron is 
lost, and transferred to the leather, particularly 
that made with oak bark. In short, the tanner 
wants something which, when presented to an as- 
tringent infusion, will seize on, and enable him to 
estimate every thing which would (in his process 
on the large scale) contribute to the weight of his 
leather, 

" I know nothing which can do this so well as the 
skin itself, and I find that by a little management 
it may be made to yield us the information we 
require, quicker than has hitherto been thought 
possible. 

It cannot be doubted that a strong bull hide 
will continue to absorb tanning matter for two 
years, if the process be so arranged ; but if we al- 
ter the usual proportion of the materials, the result 
as to time, will differ exceedingly. If a fresh skin 



25 



be shaven down to a very thin substance on a cur- 
rier's beam, or split into fine leaves by a machine, 
so as to expose a great expanse of surface, and a 
quantity of these be steeped in a proportionably 
small measure of tanner's ouze, they will, in a very 
few hours, imbibe all its useful tanning substance, 
and enable him to ascertain, by the difference of 
weight before and after steeping, the exact quan- 
tity of matter in solution, that can be made avail- 
able in the manufacture of leather.* 

" This is a test which comes home to the business 
of every tanner ; one which he can place confi- 
dence in, because he can clearly understand it ; 
and though some niceties are requisite in this pro- 
cess also, the line of thought necessary to attain 
them is already so familiar to him, that I have 
great hopes it is calculated to become generally 
useful. 

" There can be no question of the correctness of 
the principle of this plan, it being that in daily 
operation in every tannery, yet the field is open for 
improvement, and the exercise of ingenuity in the 
conduct of it; but having placed the subject with- 
in the grasp of the manufacturer, I candidly con- 
fess his superior right to prescribe the details in 
every thing connected with his handicraft opera- 
tions. 

* The strongest ouze in the Dublin tan-yard prepared in the usual 
cold method, was exhausted of taste and colour by this mode in seven 
hours; a decoction of valonia, (the strongest I was able to make,) of 
sp. gr. 1066, was, with the aid of frequent manipulation, to change 
the ouze in the pores of the skin, deprived of all the astringency in 
about nine hours. 



£6 



" As however, I have made several experiments 
to ascertain the proper mode of proceeding, and 
acquired some experience in the matter, I wiUingly 
communicate it, and devote the remainder of this 
paper to hints which I hope may be of service to 
the tanner in going through the test on his own 
account. 

" As the object is to constitute a comparison be- 
tween two or more astringents, and decide quickly 
on their respective merits, whilst the articles are 
yet at market, a few pieces should be selected from 
each lot, so as fairly to represent every parcel. 
The whole of each sample should be separately 
ground to powder in a small coffee or pepper-mill, 
and passed successively through the same sieve, to 
place each in similar circumstances. From these 
average samples, the operator may take equal 
weights, and obtain complete infusions of each, by 
agitating them with successive portions of warm 
water till all the soluble matter is extracted. 

Though boiling water will hasten the operation, 
it certainly tends to decompose the astringent 
liquor afterward, and induces it to deposit a portion 
of insoluble matter which may interfere with cor- 
rect results. Water at blood heat (98"* Fahr.) 
may be safely applied ; bottles to infuse and shake 
the powders in, and a piece of mushn to strain 
through, serve these purposes completely. Care 
must, of course, be taken to preserve and return 
any powdered bark which may remain in the 
strainer, with the next quantity of warm water. 
Successive additions in this manner are exceedingly 
more powerful solvents than the whole quantity 



27 

applied at once. Their efficacy increases in a geo- 
metrical progression. 

" When the several infusions yielded by one sam- 
ple are united, the average liquor will in general 
be found sufficiently weak to be acted on by skin 
with the greatest effect ; that is, to afford all the 
colouring matter along with the tan — an advantage 
the tanner is prevented from obtaining in strong 
decoctions of bark. If his experience should lead 
him to think a particular infusion too strong (which 
may occur in the examination of astringent extracts 
similar to kino, rhatany, and catechu,) he may add 
water to reduce it to what he would call a " safe 
tanning strength." Aliquot parts of these infu- 
sions (one-sixth of each for instance,) are now to 
be separately submitted to the action of the test 
skins (to be described afterwards) which should be 
carefully handled in the liquors now and then for 
seven or eight hours, to expose new surfaces to the 
action of the ouze, till the tanner ascertain, by eye 
and tongue, that the liquors are absolutely spent. 

There are a number of critical appearances in 
various operations, altogether undescribable, and 
of which inanimate tests give us no warning, and 
keep no record : In such cases it fortunately hap- 
pens that the organs of sense give perfect satisfac- 
tion to an experienced operator. In the process 
under consideration, habit renders their decision 
all-sufficient. 

The skins intended for the trial should previous- 
ly be well washed in tepid water, to extract any 
lime which they may have absorbed in the process 
of depilatiou, together with all the loose gelatine 



S8 

which can be squeezed out of the pores along with 
it ; so that nothing shall remain but the firm fibre, 
which will bear handling in the usual manner in 
weak ouze. They are, after this washing, to be 
dried in the shade, but not near a fire ; then cut 
up into small pieces to fit the miniature tan-pits, 
and weighed in lots corresponding with the infu- 
sions ; each lot containing bulk sufficient to fill up 
the quantity of ouze, and (like a sponge) present 
an absorbent surface on every side. 

" This dry skin, as every tanner knows, is in 
a very unfit state to absorb astringent matter, and 
become leather. It is, therefore, previous to im- 
mersion in the ouze, to be worked with the hands 
for about five minutes in water just blood-warm 
(98° Fahr.,) and induced by this treatment to sof- 
ten and swell to its former dimensions, in which 
state it will be capable of fully exerting its absor- 
bent powers ; and if care be taken to give the ouze 
an over dose of it, the action will be completed in 
a few hours. 

As each ouze is exhausted, its lots of skins should 
be taken up, dried in the shade as before, and the 
increase of weight in each lot separately ascertain- 
ed. This additional weight can consist only of the 
useful tanning matter, so that the increase of each 
lot will directly show the true comparative value 
of the astringent in whose infusion it was steeped. 

The skin most proper for this purpose is the 
strongest and freshest that can be procured, shaved 
down or split to the thinnest substance it can be 
safely reduced to. The large fresh currier's shav- 
ings from the strong hides intended for chaises or 
1 



S9 

harness, can be obtained in quantity, and are well 
adapted to the process. The skins of ill-fed sheep 
and cattle that come to market hide-bound from 
the mountain districts, as well as those of aged cat- 
tle in general, are also strong and fibrous enough 
for the purpose ; but what I would prefer to all 
other (from the description I have received) are ox 
hides split very thin and evenly by the patent ma- 
chine. 

** In Birmingham, I am informed, this branch of 
the leather manufacture is well understood. In 
Dublin, we have but one splitting machine, and 
that is only constructed for splitting sheep skins. 
These, from the improvement that has taken place 
in our breed of sheep, are generally so full of fat, 
that they are quite unfit to act as a test in this case, 
the oil shielding the skin from the action of the 
tan, and where it exists in the greatest quantity, 
along the back and across the neck, retarding the 
evaporation of moisture during the two drying 
processes, and consequently leading to false results. 

" Calf skins, shaven down to the thinness of split 
sheep skins, are free enough from oil, but the fibre 
is in general so delicate, that it is liable to be injur- 
ed, and partially dissolved, or rather dispersed 
through the warm water during the softening and 
swelling, preparatory to steeping in the astringent 
infusion. I found that several lots of this skin, 
previously dried and weighed for experiment, 
though beautifully transparent, and apparently 
perfect in every way, lost seven per cent, of loose 
gelatine when handled in tepid water. Thus this spe- 
cies of skin also appears improper for the purpose. 



80 

" To avoid the last mentioned source of error, it 
wiil be prudent to reserve a piece out of every 
batch which undergoes the swelhng process, to 
ascertain (by drying and weighing without tan- 
ning,) whetlier the remaining pieces destined for 
experiment had lost any thing in that operation. 
As such a loss is only likely to occur in strong 
hides, from carelessness, in the usual operations of 
lining, washing, &c. the tanner has it completely 
in his power, by proper attention, to prepare his 
own test skins in the most perfect manner. Per- 
haps the calf skins that I operated on had been 
somewhat injured in these processes : Whereas, if 
they had been carefully treated, they might have 
remained strong enough. This is a point which 
peculiarly rests with the tanner to ascertain cor- 
rectly, as a matter of economy and convenience. 
If calf skins be really strong enough to retain all 
their substance from one weigliing to the other, 
tanners who manufacture upper-leather v;ill be 
much more at home in trials made with them. In 
Ireland, I believe, there is quite as much of it 
made as of sole leather. 

" In the shaving of strong hides, it is indifferent to 
the currier in what shape he takes off the pieces. 
A tanner who attends him during that operation, 
may obtain shavings of the exact size he wants, 
and therefore, need never sacrifice an entire hide 
to the experiment.* 

* In a short time, the preparation and sale of these test skins will 
probably become a regular branch of trade, in connexion with the 
manufacture of parchment, &c. Tanners may then, without trouble 
or loss of time, obtain for a few pence the means of regulating the 



31 



** I need scarcely mention that the test skins em- 
ployed in this trial should not be expected to be- 
come perfect leather, so as to enable the tanner to 
judge of the quality of the astringent also. That 
is an operation requiring length of time, and excess 
of tanning materials, both of which are here inad- 
missible. 

" In the course of experiments which led me to 
the adoption of the plan recommended in this 
essay, I have accumulated a number of compara- 
tive analyses of the several astringents used in the 
arts, made with a view to ascertain how the tests 
would work in all cases, as an index to their tan- 
ning properties. 

** These I intend to annex to the present paper, 
but satisfied of the correct action of the test, I 
omit them for the present, convinced that each 
individual lot of astringent substance brought ta 
market may differ so widely in composition and 
quality from each other, that such a table as I 
might be able to form from the examination of 
particular samples, (not now at market) would only 
tend to mislead. 

My chief hope is, that by the preceding sketch 
of a process, I have been sufficiently explicit to 
enable a tanner to proceed for himself towards the 
attainment of that important object — a knowledge 
of the comparative value of all the astringent ma- 
terials which appear at market, in time to regulate 
his purchase of any." 

purchases of their stock of bark for the year. Those extensively in 
trade, who necessarily invest thousands of pounds in this expensive 
material, will need no farther explanation to enable them to appreciate 
justly the value of this information. 



(gratis circular.) 
YOUNG PLANTATIONS. 

£The following Circular was sent to a number of Noblemen and other 
landed proprietors in 182G, a year of unprecedented drought, which 
will be long remembered, and may not be altogether uninteresting, 
should the like again happen.]] 

My Lords and Gentlemen, — In this year of 
unprecedented drought, I am well aware that your 
young plantations must be suffering very severely, 
especially what has been planted this season, and 
particularly where planted on dry rocky soils. This I 
am the more convinced of, not only from what I have 
seen personally on different estates, and in various 
parts of the country ; but also from the numerous 
applications, being nearly 200, already come to 
hand, from different Noblemen and Gentlemen in 
England, Scotland, and Ireland, asking advice as 
to what possible course they should take to recover 
or save their plantations, some of which being of 
very great extent, and which appear at present to 
be a total failure, must occasion an immense ex- 
pense in plants and in replanting. 

Being well aware, that there are also many 
who have not as yet applied to me for advice, 
whose plantations may be in a similar situation, 
I thought of printing this Circular, containing 
the following hints, and sending it to those 
Noblemen and Gentlemen who have honour- 
ed me with their employment ; and should 
they be the means (of which I have no doubt 



53 



from former experience) of saving all or any part 
of their young plantations, I will feel myself most 
amply rewarded : — 

Oaks, &c. — Where the plants of oak, Spanish 
chesnut, elm, (Scotch or English,) ash, plane, 
sycamore, horse chesnut, birch, and alder, (and 
in some parts of England and in the most of Ire- 
land, the beech) have failed in the top, and are by 
no means likely to recover ; cut them over close 
by the ground, trampling and firming the roots well 
in the earth before cutting off the top, and be sure 
to cut the plant close to the surface of the ground 
when trampled down ; let this be done in all plan- 
tations where there is no risk of the young shoots 
(numbers of which will yet come away during 
autumn) being destroyed by game, such as deer, 
hares, rabbits, &c. in this month, and particularly 
before the end of September ; where there is a risk 
of the young growths being destroyed during the 
winter by game, let all such be cut over in the 
months of December and January ; thus by having 
their roots firmed in the earth, the roots will be 
growing every day of vegetative weather during 
winter, and will, in the spring, send out most vigor- 
ous growths ; there being no risk of the roots los- 
ing the growth by the top of the plant shaking 
with the winter winds. The same method should 
be attended to with all plants, even two, three, or 
five years planted, if dead in the top ; and not to 
depend on their side shoots, although fresh, as they 
never make a proper tree. — Vide my Forester's 
Guide, 1824. 

Firs. — From the strong gales of wind we have 

D 



84 



had in most parts of the country, within these 
three weeks past, I have found great numbers of 
the firs, particularly those in exposed situations, 
very much loosened in the roots, which has been 
the means of killing more of them than the drought, 
by admitting the air to the roots, and destroying 
the moisture, which kills the roots, although the 
soil is good and deep. If the following is attended 
to immediately, — going through and carefully firm- 
ing them at the roots, many of them may yet be 
saved; not a moment should be lost in attending 
to this. Where top shoots of the spruce and silver 
firs are dead, and the under shoots healthy, the 
top shoots should be cut off. I have found 
this always, where they had sap in the roots, to 
save the life of the plant or tree when the side 
roots are healthy ; it will be found to answer 
the purpose completely, when the firs are intended 
chiefly for nurses ; but when they are intended to 
be reared as ornamental trees, this sometimes causes 
them to grow horizontal or crooked. 

Layering Natural Oak Woods. — To those 
noblemen and gentlemen in the Highlands of 
Scotland, who have extensive tracts of natural oak 
wood, I beg to say, that I was aware, before hear- 
ing from many of you, that the layering from the 
young oak shoots would be a complete failure this 
season. To those of you who have been going on 
with the plan of layering, and who have planted 
hundreds of acres in this wav, and are convinced 
of the utihty of tlie method, having seen stronger 
and better growths in two years from the layers. 



than in five or six years from the plants, I need say 
little, as what you have lost this season you will 
gain next ; nor will you be wanting in growths 
through the autumn, now when the season is set in 
moist. As a proof of this, you need only look back 
to former years. To those who have only tried 
the system of layering for the first time this sea- 
son, I beg to say, you must not despair, as it has 
been proved, to a demonstration, to succeed. 
Where you have depth of soil, you will have 
growths yet in autumn, but particularly in spring ; 
but I observe, what you say, that where the soil is 
very bare, and particularly where you have laid 
the layer over rocks, the branch or layer seems in 
many cases to lie dead ; nothing else than this 
could be expected in a season like this, not having 
a drop of rain or moisture since layered in, and no 
depth of soil to make the fibres stretch for roots ; 
this will be particularly the case where the incision 
in the layer has been much cut through, as by this 
means the sap or nourishment from the old stools 
is completely cut off, which should have supplied 
it till the fibres in the layer became roots, which is 
not, nor can it be expected, till the layers have had 
a whole year's growth. In this case, a spadeful 
of fresh earth should immediately, during this 
month if possible, be laid on them, and the pins 
well firmed in. The laying a little fresh earth on 
them, I mean only in all bare rocky places, will 
preserve them and keep them moist till next sea- 
son ; taking care not to disengage the layer from 
the old stool j and although they may receive but 



36 



little sap from the old stool, yet they will, if an or- 
dinary moist season, receive as much as make them 
take root, and form themselves ; by attending to 
this, you will have, in many instances, growths this 
autumn, but particularly next spring. Although 
they may not have sent out a green blade this 
season, there is not the slightest room to despair.* 

Again, to those who have only tried the method 
of layering for the first time this season, their 
failure, I grant is particularly discouraging ; 
yet the utility of layering and cutting over, by 
many years experience, is incontrovertible, and 
can be attested by thousands ; and by attending 
to the foregoing method, I am perfectly assured 
it will save the expense of replanting. 

I beg to observe, before taking my leave of you, 
that this season I have observed, both in different 
places of Scotland and Ireland, many trees in plan- 
tations of twenty and thirty years old, which had 
previously been most vigorous in their growth, 
completely dead in the tops ; although the buds 
came out, they never bladed ; but these are chief- 
ly in plantations where the ground is over-burden- 
ed for want of timely thinning ; these, however, 

* Since the above was circulated, I had occasion, so late as Novem- 
ber, to be on the estate of Duntroon, in Argyleshire, the property of 
Niel Malcolm, Esq. where his forester, James Gow, had layered down 
not fewer than 50,000 oak and Spanish chesnut, early in spring, in 
one plantation, from natural shoots, &c. and not live layers out of 
the hundred, on an average, had failed ; a great many of them had 
made fine shoots of from two to three feet, and were very healthy. 
The Spanish chesnuts were particularly promising notwithstanding 
the drought. 



37 



may recover next season ; but still it would be well, 
in all such cases, to thin a little, as want of timely 
thinning often stints the growth of the whole plan- 
tation, particularly in such a season as this, for 
when the ground is over-burdened, recovery is 
doubtful. 

I have the honour to remain. 
My Lords and Gentlemen, 
Your most obedient and very faithful Servant, 

R. M. 

Edinburgh, l^th Augmt 1826. 



WINNOWING MACHINE. 

pattern of the Machine, with the following letter, was sent to the 
first meeting of the Highland Society at Glasgow, and I have no 
doubt but its great utility will be duly appreciated in wet harvests, 
particularly in the Western Islands, and its place here not ungra- 
tifying to many of my readers.]] 

To the Noblemen and Gentlemen, Members of the Com- 
mittee of the Highland Society, to meet at Glasgow, 2Tth 
Sep. 1826. 

My Lords and Gentlemen, — It is a well known 
fact, that, in the Highlands of Scotland, particu- 
larly Argyleshire and the Islands, it is almost im- 
possible to get the crop (chiefly oats and beer) from 



as- 

the wetness of the climate, gathered in, in a whole- 
some state, either for man or beast ; and often- 
times a great expense is incurred in removing it to 
high land, and in turning it over to dry, &c. It 
is well known that His Grace the Duke of Argyle, 
erected barns at an expense of L.10,000 in the 
neighbourhood of Inverary, for the purpose of 
winnowing the crop. It is with a view to secure 
to the farmer, at a very trifling expense, his crop 
of corn, &c. that he may have wholesome food for 
man and beast, that I beg leave to lay before you 
a model of a simple machine, by the use of which, 
corn of every description may be winnowed in a 
very few days, in place of sometimes taking a great 
many weeks, and preserve the grain in good order, 
notwithstanding continued rains. As the model 
of this machine shows at once, to the most super- 
ficial observer, the method of drying or winnowing 
corn, little need be said in explanation of it ; all 
that is necessary is, that the machine be made of 
sufficient height and strength to keep the sheaves 
off the damp ground, so that it may turn round 
with the wind, the sheaves being put on the forks 
of the machine ; when placed in such a situation, 
an hour of dry weather will completely dry the 
sheaves, after having been drenched with rain. 

OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE UTILITY OF THIS MACHINE. 

I. It will take a very long time to put a sheaf on 
the machine. ^In reply, — It has been tried re- 
peatedly, and allowed, at all hands, that it is as soon 
put on the machine as in the shock. 



39 



11. It loses the grass out of the bottom of the 
sheaf. — This is sometimes the case ; but what falls 
out can be very easily raked off the field after, 
without any loss. 

III. The expense will be great. — But not so ; 
the strong part of the machine can be made of cast 
iron, or wood, and the turning part of strong wire ; 
so that they will not cost above, (as I am inform- 
ed,) from Is. 6d. to 2s. each, sufficient to hold from 
six to twelve sheaves, and will last a farmer for 
generations ; and as corn can, in this way, be win- 
nowed in a very few days, a few will serve a farm, 
being so very portable that they can be taken from 
field to field : even were it to cost a little more, no 
farmer but would think it well bestowed, when he 
calculates upon the difficulty, risk, expense, and 
even the loss of grain he is obliged to sustain almost 
every season, but particularly in wet seasons. But 
I aver, that the very reverse will be the case, as by 
this means he will always save his grain at less ex- 
pense, and its utility is immense, every where in 
wet seasons, when put in practice. 

Observe, the sheaf must be tied a little above the 
middle, the band of the sheaf fixed on the forks, 
and the bottom spread out, so that being entirely 
off the ground, and turning round on the machine, 
it admits of the air in every direction ; nor will 
heavy pouring of rain injure it, as it runs olf the 
.straw as it falls ; an hour's dry weather, at all 
times, will fit it for the barn-yard after being win- 
nowed. Three small poles of wood, Utile thicker 
than a corn fork handle, turning on a bolt 
at the top, set up and spread out at the ground In 



40 



form of a triangle, and with hooks on them to hang 
the sheaves on ; or a hoop put round with hooks 
to put the sheaves on, either of the ways will be 
found simple and of very trifling expense. 

I have the honour to be, 

My Lords and Gentlemen, 
Your most obedient and very humble Servant, 

R. M. 

Stirling, 91st September 1826. 



Sketch of a Winnowing Machine. 



INTRODUCTION 

TO THE 

PLANTATIONS IN IRELAND, 

SURVEYED IN 1S26. 



I use great plainness of speech. 

I hate the sophistry of words. 

Which only cause contentious spite. 
By experience lead to what affords. 

With demonstration, sure profit. 

The following remarks and methods of improve- 
ment on Woods and Plantations on sundry estates, 
are principally intended for the perusal and assis- 
tance of the planter and forester, so that an attempt 
at fine language, or a strict adherence to the nice- 
ties of grammar, are neither necessary nor attended 
to. My whole intention is, to state the improve- 
ments that could and that should be made, with 
great advantage to the properties, both as to profit 
and ornament, with the best and most advantageous 
method of executing them, so as to be easily under- 
stood by those who may have the operative man- 



agement. — Having always made it my creed to 
probe the wound to the bottom, though simply, yet 
plainly — -fearlessly, yet candidly and honestly, be- 
fore applying the remedy. Without pointing out 
the disease, it would be of no use to prescribe a 
a cure ; in doing so, it of necessity has been my 
painful duty to bring into notice, as I went along, 
the mismanagement of these woods, trees, and plan- 
tations. In doing so, I beg it to be understood, that 
I have not the most distant view to personalities, 
being perfectly ignorant as to who had the manage- 
ment of them. Hoping that the few hints will 
serve as a beacon, not to make shipwreck again of 
such beautiful plantations and trees, upon the same 
rock, suffice it to say, that the planter and rearer 
of timber, in every part of Great Britain, does and 
will reap immense and incalculable advantages 
therefrom, when properly attended to; but particu- 
larly in Ireland, which, for the far greater part, in 
point of improvements in agriculture, is at least 
one hundred years behind her sister kingdoms. 
Throwing this consideration alone into the scale, 
it should have its due weight with landed proprie- 
tors in that country, as regarding the interest of 
the nation, themselves, and their posterity. It is 
plain to a demonstration, that when once Ireland 
shall have arrived at that degree of perfection in 
agricultural improvement, to which I am happy to 
see, from the enterprising spirit to improve by 
planting, of some of her noblemen, she is advanc- 
ing, though slowly, there would not be in the 
country a tenth part of the timber necessary 
to supply the internal demand for agricultural 



43 



purposes alone.* I am decidedly of opinion, 
that the landed proprietor who plants or im- 
proves large tracts of waste or poor land, does 
more for the real substantial good, or future inde- 
pendence (or the emancipation if you will) of Ire- 
land, laying his own private interests aside, thau 
all the bewildering schemes of many nameless in- 
dividuals. Besides clothing the nakedness and 
barrenness of the kingdom, it will in a very short 
time enrich the landed proprietor, and so soon as 
set about with spirit, will instantly afford bread and 
clothing in abundance, to thousands of naked and 
half-starving labourers. From the locality of my 
present subject, as it only regards a few noble 
individuals, and their private property, it would, I 
fear, be deemed improper to be more public ; time 
alone, and those who embark in it, will prove the 
justness of the remark. Let it be carefully noticed, 
and always kept in view, that in going over in the 
way of a survey, of woods and plantations, it is 
impossible I could condescend upon the particular 
number of trees, where it is necessary to suggest 
the propriety of a thinning, that should be taken 
out; but from the hints given, and the methods 
laid down to be followed up, any person, of but 
ordinary skill and judgment in forestry, will be at 
no loss to discover all such. In all wooded estates 
it is worthy the proprietor's special attention, and 
always tends to his advantage, as well as to the 
improvement of his property, and also to his ob- 

* The greater part of the few implements required for this purpose, 
are at present sent from England and Scotland. 



taining a perfect knowledge of his increasing an- 
nual income, to have his woods, plantations, wood 
lands, and timber trees surveyed, valued, and put 
on a proper system of improvement by a profes- 
sional person, who, if worthy of trust, will take 
special care, candidly, honestly, and without par- 
tiality, to state the improvements that should and 
that could be made with propriety, advantage, and 
profit, with the best, speediest, safest, and cheapest 
method of executing them. 

A most excellent and satisfactory plan for all 
concerned, when a system of improvement is 
adopted, and agreed on by the proprietor, and put 
into the hands of the factor, forester, or operative 
manager, particularly when printed, is to bind in 
a quantity of blank paper at the end of the report 
on every distinct plantation or farm, in the form of 
a book, in which the proprietor notes down his in- 
structions to the factor, forester, or operative ma- 
nager, so that he goes on in safety, and if attentive 
and industrious, with satisfaction to his employer. 
Also the manager or forester noting down, on his 
part, the expense or time consumed in making all 
such improvements when finished, &c. ; also the 
sums of money received for the thinnings and cut- 
tings, and to w^hat purpose applied, &c. The pro- 
prietor and servants keeping each a distinct book, 
and comparing them occasionally. When this plan 
is judiciously attended to, it affords peace of mind 
to the proprietor, particularly so when he (the pro- 
prietor) cannot always reside on the estate, where- 
by, at whatsoever distance, he can have a perfect 
knowledge of what is going on at all times and oc- 



45 



casions on all parts of his estate. I have oftentimes, 
particularly on extensive wooded estates, numbered 
and valued the whole standing timber trees and 
plantations according to the aforesaid plan, dis- 
tinctly marking and valuing all such as may be cut 
for the improvement of the woods and plantations, 
and distinguishing, marking, and valuing all such 
as may be cut without injury to the look of the 
woods and plantations, so that the proprietor 
knows to a certainty, or nearly so, the annual pro- 
duce or yearly income he can receive from his 
woods ; and should at any time a pressing neces- 
sity for a little more money than his yearly income 
be wanted, he can have recourse to those trees 
that may be cut without injury to the look of the 
woods or plantations. Such a plan of arrangement 
will serve the woods and wood lands on every 
estate for forty years or more, and it will serve the 
cuttings of natural coppice woods for all time com- 
ing, when once brought into annual general cut- 
tings, and cannot fail of affording the most univer- 
sal satisfaction to all concerned for the future. 

In making all such surveys, I am particularly 
careful to select and describe all such trees as will 
suit the particular soil and situation, attentively 
pointing out and recommending all such trees as 
will live to the greatest age, become the most mag- 
nificent, large, and ornamental trees, and which, 
by their increasing magnitude, will give dignity, 
antiquity, and grandeur to the domain or estate, to 
be reared up to perpetuity. Always keeping in 
view, that though an estate or domain may be pos- 
sessed of many natural beauties, yet trees are the 



46 



golden fringe which adorn nature's noblest and 
grandest garment : clad in these, she is not on- 
ly infinitely beautiful, but trenscendently excel- 
lent ; such will the eye ever admire 1 Strip 
nature of trees, and she looks like a naked man 
in a winter day, disgusting to the eye, and 
shuddering to the heart — strip nature of trees, 
and there is a blank which no human art or inge- 
nuity can supply, whether we view them as a na- 
tional or individual ornament or profit. The pro- 
prietor who rears up and spares old healthy trees 
of oak, Spanish chesnut, bequeathes an in- 
valuable treasure to his posterity;* and he who 

* Let loves own altar honour'd be. 
Spare, woodman spare, the beechen tree. 

Lord Byron's fine simile, written beneath an elm in the church-yard 
of Harrow-on-the-Hill, September 2, 1807, will be acceptable to 
every lover of trees : — 

Spot of my youth ! whose hoary branches sigh^ 
Swept by the breeze that fans thy cloudless sky ; 
Where now alone, I muse, who oft have trod. 
With those I lov'd, thy soft and verdant sod ; 
With those, who scattered far, perchance deplore^, 
Like me, the happy scenes they knew before ; 
Oh ! as I trace again thy winding hill. 
Mine eyes admire, my heart adores thee still. 
Thou drooping elm, beneath whose boughs I lay, 
And frequent mus'd the twilight hours away ; 
Where, as they once were wont, my limbs recline. 
But ah ! without the thoughts which then were mine ; 
How do thy branches, moaning to the blast. 
Invite the bosom to recall the past, 
And seem to whisper, as they gently swell. 

Take while thou canst, a lingering, last farewell !" 
When Fate shall chill at length this fever'd breast, 
. And cahn its cares and passions into rest ; 



•r/ 

cuts them down, robs his posterity for many gene- 
rations, and his country of its greatest beauty, 
boast, and bulwark. Britain had better be without 
gold than without timber. 

Oft have I thought 'twould soothe my dying hour^ 
If aught may soothe, when life resigns her power. 
To know some humbler grave, some narrow cell. 
Would hide ray bosom, where it lov'd to dwell; 
With this fond dream, methinks 'twere sweet to die, 
And here it linger' d, here my heart might lie ; 
Here might I sleep, where all my hopes arose. 
Scene of my youth, and couch of my repose ; 
For ever stretch'd beneath this mantling shade, 
Prest by the turf where once my childhood played. 
Wrapt by the soil that veils the spot I lov'd, 
Mix'd with the earth o'er which my footsteps raov'd. 
Blest by the tongues that charm'd my youthful ear, 
Mourn'd by the few my soul acknowledg'd here, 
Deplor'd by those in early days allied. 
And unremeraber'd by the world beside. 



SURVEYS, REPORTS, &c. 



No. I. 

The Elms near the Approach Gate to Powerscourt 
Mansion. 

These trees, on both sides of the public road, 
chiefly elms, must be allowed at all hands do give a 
very dignified, sublimely grand, ancient, and vene- 
rable appearance to the approach to the mansion. 
Notwithstanding their unprotected situation, being 
close on the public road, and the little care or 
attention that has been paid to the rearing of them, 
they have raised their magnificent heads to the sky, 
and bid defiance to the storms and tempests that 
have within their lifetime overturned and reduced 
to a heap of ruins the strongest and most stately edi- 
fices, built by human ingenuity and art, and speak 
in that beautiful language of inspiration, " man is 
as a shadow that departed, compared with us.'' I am 
sorry to say that it bespeaks a degree of carelessness 



49 



seldom to be met with, in allowing these noblest of 
nature's productions to fall into decay, when a very 
little work and attention would be the means of pre- 
serving them in all their grandeur for another century. 
The first and sixth on the right, approaching to the 
gate, have each lost the top of the trunk ^ these should 
be cut over, and if found decaying in the heart, should 
be covered over with a piece of lead or other substance; 
they would thus send out most vigorous shoots, gain a 
new top as a pollard, become as beautiful as ever in a 
few years, and stand so for generations, while their 
trunks are preserved ; this may be seen by the fine, 
fresh, and healthy shoots they are at present sending 
out, notwithstanding the decaying and decayed state 
of their boles. No plan could more efficiently have 
been taken to destroy and hasten to decay these trees, 
than the method in which they have been pruned, by 
cutting the large branches at a distance from the 
trunk of the tree, and allowing them to rot off, which 
never fails to leave a hole to admit of water, &c. and 
which ultimately rots the whole tree. All these 
branches and places should be most carefully and 
properly dressed up, smoothed into the body of the 
tree ; and if there is already a hole or symptom of 
decay, it should be covered over as aforesaid ; and if 
the pLce is sound when dressed up, it should be 
covered over with coal-tar paint, or a balsam prepar- 
ed for the purpose of preserving the wet from getting 
in, or the sun from opening the pores of the timber 
to admit the wet. Is not Shakespeare's fine lines very 
appropriate to those trees : 

" Their boughs are moss'd with age, 
And high tops bald with dry antiquity," 
E 



50 



No. II. 

Clump opposite the Approach Gate, 

This clump of old trees, however small in size, from 
its elevated situation, has a most beautiful appearance 
to a stranger, when walking or driving up the avenue 
just before described. The whole of the trees 
should be kept up with the greatest care ; not a 
single tree should be cut out of it ; and should any 
of them die in the top, by being whipped by its 
neighbouring tree, it should be immediately cut over 
and pollarded ; a few ever-green shrubs could be put 
in amongst their roots with propriety and advantage ; 
four trees of spruce and silver firs, say two of each, 
could be put into the blank ground, on the south 
side, and reared up to maturity, to stand in a trian- 
gular form, looking down the avenue. On the right, 
in entering the gate, there is a fine beech tree, most 
miserably pruned, and that too very lately \ the 
branches should be immediately cut close into the 
tree, as formerly directed, otherwise it will very soon 
kill the tree. Nothing can be more ruinous and des- 
tructive than a system of pruning of this kind. In 
approaching the gate on the left, are two larch firs, 
which are destroying the ever-green laurels, nor will 
they ever be ornamental trees. They should be im- 
mediately taken out, before they do any more harm. 
The young spruce firs towards the fence should be 
cultivated w4th care ; rear as many of them up as will 
stand in a triangular form to cover the view of the 
field. The young larch firs should be taken out. 
Prune properly, dress, and cover up the wounds in 



51 



the fine old trees here, in order to preserve them as 
long as possible from decay. 

No. III. 

lueft side the Approach Gate to the Mamlon^ within 
the Gate, 

At the back of the gate-house or lodge, take away 
the ash that is whipping, destroying, and overtopping 
a fine ornamental beech ; as the beech will be by far 
the most ornamental and long-lived tree, it should 
get scope, and the ash never will be a proper tree, 
from the manner it has been abused in the pruning. 
Farther on the left is a clump of fine old trees, many 
of which have also been abused in the pruning. As 
these trees not only afford shelter to the adjoining 
fields, &c. but are also beautifying and ornamental to 
the place — not a single tree should be cut out of them. 
When any of the hard wood trees die in the top, it 
should be immediately cut over as a pollard. The 
whole of the hard wood trees, that are abused in the 
pruning should be examined carefully, and all the 
spoiled places and blemishes dressed properly up and 
covered over, so as not to admit of water into the 
bowels of the tree. Several fine pollard trees of beech 
are to be seen here, which proves to a demonstra- 
tion, that pollarding such trees as I refer to, will 
be a means of preserving them as ornamental trees 
for ages, after it may be supposed they were lost for 
ever ; and in this and all such places, to preserve a 
tree for ornament is of the very greatest importance. 
A little farther on, left side, close to the approach, is 



52 



a fine healthy ash, with one of the top branches broke, 
and lying over on a fine beech, which has been allowed 
to do so, it appears, for at least a whole season, which is 
not only destroying the ash but also the beech it lies 
on; and if not remedied, will in time be the means of 
kilhngboth trees, which, of course, would make a dread- 
ful blank : this is a degree of carelessness that de- 
serves to be severely reprimanded. The branch should 
be cut off the ash, and the place where it is broke at 
present, dressed up, as also the branch it has destroy- 
ed on the beech, and that immediately. On the 
north side of the approach — as the whole of the 
trees here, as well as those described, and the whole 
on both sides leading to the mansion, give an in- 
finite dignity and ancient grandeur to the place, 
altogether indescribable, the greatest possible care, 
and every thing that human art or ingenuity can 
devise, should be applied, to preserve as long as 
possible their growth and appearance as trees ; not a 
single tree should be cut, nor so much as a healthy 
branch should ever be cut off any of them. When a 
single branch is broken off any of them by the wind, 
or otherwise, the place where it is broke should be 
immediately dressed lip, and covered over as afore- 
said ; when any of them die in the top, it should be 
cut over, and pollarded ; even when they die in the 
roots, they should be allowed to stand as long as 
there is a green blade from them, and till other trees, 
if possible, be reared in their place. 

No. IV. 

Beech-Grove. 
From the gate on both sides of the approach, close 



5S 

to the mansion, there are a number of very fine 
tall magnificent trees, and for the most part they 
are very healthy ; still there is also manifest the 
greatest want of care and attention in not dressing 
up the wounds and broken branches on them, in 
order, as long as possible, to preserve the health and 
growth of these fine trees ; which, from the situation 
they occupy, when a single tree is taken away, it 
makes a dreadful blank, and such as may reasonably 
be supposed will take at least three lifetimes to re- 
place. I may remark, that had these trees, and the 
others I have just been describing, been thinned in 
tim^e, say when they first arrived at a height of six- 
teen, or not exceeding twenty feet, they, by getting 
scope to branch out, would have been much larger, 
more ornamental, and more beautiful trees. I would 
here beg leave, as 1 go along, to observe once for all, 
that whenever a plantation is intended for standing 
ornamental timber trees, they should be thinned out 
regularly and gradually, first at the height of six, or 
not exceeding eight to nine feet ; at the height of 
twelve, or not exceeding sixteen feet ; (say eight or 
ten years after) to eighteen feet, tree from tree, at 
the height of from twenty to twenty-four feet, to 
thirty-six feet, tree from tree, or as near as can be, 
at which, if in a very exposed situation, they may 
stand as a finished grove or lawn of timber trees, 
taking special care always to leave the best and most 
healthy long-lived trees ; if underwood is necessary, 
keep the ground always full with underwood from 
the cuttings. But to return from the height, — these 
trees having arrived at the length of time they have 
stood in such an exposed situation, it would be imr 

1 



54 



possible to cut away a single tree without injury to 
its neighbouring tree, either by stinting it in its 
growth for a number of years, exposing it to be 
blown down by the storm, or altogether killing it ; 
therefore a single tree cannot be taken out here with 
safety, nor w^ith any degree of propriety* It will 
be told me what is very true, that many of these 
trees stand so close together, that they are evi- 
dently killing each other, and if allowed to stand 
many more years together, both trees will not only 
be injured, but actually killed ; then there will be 
nothing but a blank, no tree at all j there are a num- 
ber of blanks already, and perhaps from this very one 
cause ; it is therefore certainly much better to take 
away one tree and save the other, than allow both to be 
lost ; you say take away one tree, it will kill the other 
— the very one it was taken away to preserve, you say 
may be blown down by the wind, and make a blank ; 
this may happen, the world may soon come to an 
end, and there will be an end of the trees also ; this, 
I grant, is all fair and rational j we are here treading 
on sacred ground, and the person that would cut 
away a single tree here, which has required centu- 
ries to rear, at the risk of a supposed improvement, 
would be committing a crime. There is, however, 
a plan and method left of preserving and keeping a 
crop on the ground, of these grandest of nature's 
productions, even in their exposed situation and ne- 
glected state ; and I beg permission to say, that the 
managers of all estates w^ould do well to deliberate 
seriously before cutting old full-grown trees in this 
and all similar places. The plan to be followed up 
in preserving these trees, in tliis and similar places 



55 



where the one tree is evidently destroying its neigh- 
bouring tree, or destroying each other, so as both 
will shortly die if not remedied, is to cut over one of 
the trees for a pollard ; in so doing, the greatest at- 
tention and skill is requisite, taking care to cut it as 
high up as it possibly can be done, to clear and re- 
lieve the other tree, leaving always all the healthy 
branches on the outside of the pollard ; and rather 
than cut the main trunk of the tree not to be the 
pollard, take a branch or two off the side of it that is 
injuring the tree to remain. Suppose another case, 
when two trees are very close together, and one of 
them could be spared altogether, should one of them 
be taken away all at once, the top of the tree left 
will be, most likely, completely bare of branches 
on the one side, — the side pressed on by the other 
tree — and will have a miserable appearance as a tree, 
and it is ten to one if ever it will have a proper look 
as an ornamental tree. To remedy this, and to have 
in a few years a beautiful tree, cut as a pollard, the 
most healthy and best of the two trees, say the one 
intended to stand as the most ornamental tree, keep- 
ing, as abovementioned, the trunk of it as high as pos- 
sible, and all the healthy branches on it below where 
the trunk is cut, allowing the other tree to stand so 
as not only to shelter it till it sends out its new bran- 
ches, and forms its top, but also to keep the space 
full with the look of a tree till such time as the pol- 
lard has formed its top properly, when the other tree 
may be taken away ; and no deficiency of a tree will 
be perceivable, as the pollard will soon cover much 
more ground than they did both together, and be a 
much more beautiful tree than one standing with 



5& 



only a half top, say the top all on one side ; by at- 
tending to this, a crop of fine trees will, for ages, be 
kept on the ground. Where there are already blanks 
in this and the aforesaid plantations, these should 
be filled up with plants of oak, Spanish chesnut, 
English elm, plane and lime trees ; when these 
are put in, enclose them singly with my portable 
paling, (See Forester's Guide,) which is both ele- 
gant, durable, and cheap. I have been the more 
particular with the trees here, as they hold a most 
distinguished part and situation on the demesne, and 
require immediate attention, and should I meet with 
any other trees or clusters of planting requiring the 
same treatment, I will only give a reference to this. 
It is agreed at all hands, that nothing beautifies or 
makes a nobleman's mansion look more antique, 
than to have fine large old venerable trees, and the 
greatest imaginable attention should be paid to the 
preserving and keeping up all such trees. The mak- 
ing of pollard trees in places of this kind is of great 
use when large trees are transplanted; the best me- 
thod I have always found in doing it is, to pollard 
the trees to be transplanted two or three years be- 
fore transplanting them, so as they may be forming 
a top. 

No. V. 

Large Trees along a Private Family Walk. 

Here are to be seen a number of very fine vener- 
able old English elms, which are, in so far as I have 
seen, a very great rarity in this country. Indeed 

i 



^7 



such magnificent and sublimely grand trees are sel- 
dom to be met with any where. Here I am ex- 
tremely sorry to have again to lament the deplor- 
able neglect of these noblest of nature's produc- 
tions. In order to hasten the decay, and to con- 
sign to oblivion the fine row of these trees along the 
garden wall, in front of the mansion, which perhaps 
cost some of their ancient proprietors many a wak- 
ing night, some fratricide has in a most cruel and 
wanton manner cut the roots off the whole of them 
from one end to the other, to the depth of two 
feet and upwards, and that too within three or four 
feet of the trunk of the trees, which, in plain lan- 
guage, is to say, get thee gone thou dandled darlings 
of nature's children, which have been dandled on the 
lap of nature for centuries, and let a garden cabbage 
or shrub take your place — which, like Jonah's gourd, 
is reared in a night, and perishes in a night. Had 
I the overcharge of these woods, trees, &c. I could 
hardly ever forgive the servant who dared to put forth 
his hand to injure them j his situation would hardly 
atone for such a crime — it is well I know not the 
man, or his name as aforesaid would swell the pages 
of history. — Were trees, like any other crop, sown in 
spring and cut down in full maturity in autumn, this 
or something like it might have passed over, but the 
hand that plants can never see them reaped in matu- 
rity, therefore I say, once for all, that trees planted 
for shelter and ornament should never be cut down, 
particularly when arrived at such a degree of per- 
fection, without consultation and due deliberation. 
Even the proprietor himself may have to regret, when 
too late, the cutting or taking down of such trees, 



58 



particularly in such a situation, where they give so 
much beauty and antiquity to such a grand mansion. 
The beautiful lines of the poet, so apropos, plead an 
excuse for using them : — 

" The Elms are fiU'd and adieu to the shade. 
And the whispering sound of the cool colonade. 
The winds play no longer and sing in their leaves. 
Nor the Ouse on its surface their image receives. 
— Years had elasp'd since I last took a view 
Of my favourite field and the place where they grew. 
When behold on their sides in the grass they were laid. 
And I sat on the trees under which I had stray'd ; 
The black bird has sought out another retreat. 
Where the Hazels afford him a screen from the heat. 
And the scene where his notes have oft charmed me before. 
Shall resound with his south flowing ditty no more. 
My fugitive years are all passing away. 
And I must myself lie as lowly as they. 
With a turf at my breast and a stone at my head. 
Ere another such grove rises up in its stead." 

There are a few of these trees spoiled in the top ; 
they should immediately be cut over as pollards, 
about six feet at least above the garden wall ; the 
trunk, if hollow, covered over to prevent any further 
decay, and allowed then to pollard, and the blemish- 
ed parts carefully dressed up, as directed in No. IV, 
The undermining and cutting of the roots should be 
carefully filled with good earth, and never again re- 
opened. The pollard elm at the north-east end of 
the mansion, is a beautiful specimen of the degree 
of perfection that a pollard can be brought to by at- 
tention and care. In the management of young 
plantations it is altogether different, although they 
have even arrived at the age of fifty, or say sixty 
years j in this case, when the trees are vigorous in 



59 



growth, a proper selection should be made, leaving 
always the more healthy and thriving, and such as 
are likely to be the longest lived trees. Although 
those left may happen to have a bad top on one side, 
spoiled with its neighbouring tree, from its healthy 
and vigorous growth, it will soon gather and recover ; 
in cases of this kind, they should always be allowed 
room and scope ; by the cutting or destroying of the 
trees in question, in one unlucky moment, if we com- 
pare the future with the past, the work of five or six 
generations is spoiled. Where is the man, in his 
thinking moments, knowing the proprietor's absence, 
that would risk the daring attempt. If there was 
such a man, generations yet unborn will curse his 
bones while rotting in the dust. I could give many 
names of places, where the proprietors, in an unthink- 
ing moment, had cut down old timber trees about 
pleasure grounds, and afterwards repented to such a 
degree, that when looking on the awful blank, totally 
unable to supply its place, although they should give 
all they had ; sad remorse made them forsake the 
ancient demesne of their forefathers. The old trees 
on both sides the garden wall, so long as protected 
from the hands of the assassin, and a green blade 
flourishes on them, their venerable tops will nod in 
solemn silence, and proclaim peace to the slumber- 
ing ashes of their ancient proprietors, who planted, 
protected, and reared them to such perfection.* 

* The roots of the fine trees referred to^ were cut at the suggestion of 
the gardener, to stop them from running into the garden. I only learned 
this lately, and near twelve months after this report was written. 



60 



No. VI. 

Silver Dale. 

This den or ravine, on both sides the run of wa- 
ter, has in many places considerable blanks, which 
should be filled up, where dry, with oak, Spanish 
chesnut, and, to give variety to its look, spruce and 
silver firs. At the top of this there are some fine old 
ash trees, covered with ivy, which is a great orna- 
ment to the place ; and to a person standing within 
a few yards of them, they have a most impressive ef- 
fect, and call up to mind the inexorable calm pace 
with which time has passed over them, marking with 
his ravages, destruction in every step ; their boughs 
falling to pieces, and trunks tumbling over their hol- 
low base with age ; methinks religion raises her sup- 
plicating eyes to plead for a release in vain — in vain 
philosophy, with all her wise maxims, and melody, 
with her sublime songs — in vain could they combined, 
touch the cold unfeeling heart of time. Yet me- 
thinks the awful tyrant, totally unused to spare, re- 
lented when he struck their finished pride, and part- 
ly to repair the ravages his sweeping hand has made, 
and to renew in green verdure those brightest gems 
of nature, ties up their tottering trunks with twisted 
ivy. Ho vv indescribably beautiful are these dead trees 
in their grave clothes, returning to their original no- 
thing, clothed in their ivy-mantled shroud. If I 
durst but give scope to my flying imagination for a 
moment, to an infinitely more grand and subhme sub- 
ject, and take a peep at the noblest of all God's works 
falling to pieces in the grave j but the immortal part, 



61 



clad in the ever-green ivy of a Redeemer's righteous- 
ness, woven in the loom of his obedience, and dyed in 
his atoning blood, will shine in all the verdure of 
youthful beauty through eternal ages — but hold, the 
subject is too sublime for my unworthy pencil, and 
has rivetted me too long to the enchanting spot — fare- 
well ! ye perfections of nature's beauties. 

Both sides here would make a fine bank for natu- 
ral oak coppice ; but so near the pleasure grounds, 
I am of opinion it should be kept full on both 
sides with ornamental trees. Where the bank is wet, 
it should be drained and planted up as aforesaid ; 
some places here that could not be altogether drained, 
from their marshy nature, may very advantage- 
ously be planted up with the willow, or black 
poplar, which will grow well in wet places. Some 
alders in this bank, which never will be profitable 
trees, should be cut out, as also all brush-wood and 
rubbish, before planting up the places referred to. 

The trees referred to were very large old trees, 
from 80 to 120 feet high; all their small branches 
were fallen off them by decay, and their large broken 
arms, or rather stumps, stretched several feet out from 
the trunks, covered with green ivy over their highest 
tops, were enchantingly beautiful. 

No. VII. 

Young Plantation. 

This young plantation does not seem to be doing 
so well as might be expected, and nothing will, 1 fear, 
bring it to be a plantation but perseverance, by keep- 



6^ 



ing it always full of plants. There are too many 
Scotch and larch fir trees, none of v^^hich answer the 
soil well ; the common spruce fir will do better ; but 
the oak, the plane, the beech, and ash, will be the only 
trees that will come to maturity as timber trees 
here. The blanks should be completely filled up 
with these kinds, and regularly cut over till they are 
past the danger of dying ; the most of the ash 
plants should be cut over this season, close by the 
surface of the ground. This, from its proximity to 
the last bank described, should be reared as a stand- 
ing clump of timber trees, and regularly thinned as it 
comes up, as already laid down in No. IV. plantation. 
The old wooded bank, looking down on the river, 
requires a few plants put in — keep up the old trees — 
the plants to be put in must be enclosed singly, as 
the expense of enclosing the whole would be too 
great for the few trees required. Plant with Spanish 
chesnut, ash, and elm, and enclose them singly with 
my portable paling, as before recommended. As 
this is a very thin bare soil, all the oak, ash, and plane 
plants should be large when put in, so as to have 
strong good roots, and cut the top off them close by 
the surface so soon as put into the ground, as there is 
little or no sward growing to injure the plants ; the 
fir plants should only be two year old seedUngs when 
put in, say not above six or eight inches long. 

No. VIII. 

Field. 

The bank here, below the old burying-ground of 
Churchtown, is much in want of filling up, as it is fit 



6S 



for nothing else but trees ; it should be kept full ; 
plant and enclose singly, oak, Spanish chesnut, plane, 
and Scotch elm, to be reared as standing timber trees. 
The bank to the west is a most excellent bank for 
growing or rearing trees of every description ; and 
the present trees upon the ground are no crop, com- 
paratively speaking, there being a great many alders 
which will never be profitable nor ornamental trees 
— it would be very easy and no great expense to run a 
paling along the foot of the bank, and cut away the 
worthless trees of alder, &c. and plant and fill up with 
plants of ash, oak, &c. Such of the ash as will be or- 
namental trees may be left ; a tree or two from the 
alders at the Burn Cottage could be taken out with 
advantage, and improve the others by giving them 
scope. 



LARGE TREES GROWING FROM THE OLD STOOL, 
CHIEFLY PLANE, ASH, AND ELM. 

No. IX. 

Craignehall Parks, 

The few trees marked to be cut in these fields are 
only such as are dying or ,yery materially injuring the 
others ; they should be cut down with the greatest 
care not to injure those that are to stand, particularly 
those that are to be cut from the old natural root ; 
there being three, four, and sometimes five trees 
growing from the same root ; the tree to be taken 
away should be cut in a sloping manner, and the cut 
afterwards carefully dressed up so as not to lodge wa- 



64 



ter about the old stool to injure the trees to stand. It 
is worthy of observation, that the trees growing from 
the old stools here, notwithstanding their exposed 
situation, (being almost opposite the east point of 
the island of Jura,) are in a most healthy and thriv- 
ing state, and have attained the size of from four to 
eight feet in girth ; while those growing from the 
plant are not near so large nor so healthy. It is 
plain to a demonstration that the surest, speediest, 
and most effectual method of rearing timber trees to 
maturity in exposed, bleak, and bare situations, is 
from the natural stool or root. In one of these fields 
stand two common willows or saughs, which are really 
worthy of notice ; these trees are only twenty-five 
years old, (the man is alive on the estate who planted 
them) and now contain fifty-eight cubical feet of 
timber ; these trees, at 2s. per foot, their lowest price, 
is L.5, l6s., which is a very great increase in twenty- 
five years ; then an acre of land, even the very poor- 
est, if adapted for willows, will carry at least 400 of 
such trees, which, in twenty-five years w^ould be 
worth L. 11 60 sterling per acre; but even allowing 
200 trees on an acre, would be L.580 for every twenty 
years — an annual rent of from L.20 to L.30 per acre, 
this is not imaginary — these trees are growing in a 
field near Duntroon Castle, Argyleshire. I have for- 
merly recommended the willow and poplar as a 
most profitable crop in damp or wet soils ; indeed 
nothing can be more profitable in places so adapted 
for the purpose. 



65 



No. X. 

Idand Mackashan^ the property of Neill Malcolm, 

Esq, 

This island is wholly surrounded by the sea, ex- 
posed to, or rather standing in the Western Ocean, 
within a few miles of the great gulf of Coryvreckan, 
and the strait betwixt it and the main land is navi- 
gable for large vessels. It is not my design to give a 
description of the island, but only to show what a de- 
gree of perfection trees can be brought to, even on the 
most exposed situations. Here is an island, not only 
without shelter, but exposed to every wind and blast 
that blows ; so much so, that sometimes in a storm, the 
sea spray is known to have been driven nearly over the 
whole of it, — still trees will not only grow, but arrive 
at maturity on this island. I need only call the atten- 
tion of the reader to the trees at present on it as a 
proof of this. There are a great number of plane trees, 
and these too on nearly the most exposed part of the 
island. The girth of one of these trees, at the smallest 
place of the trunk, four feet from the ground, is eight 
feet two inches ; there are many more nearly the 
same size. It may be proper to mention, that these 
have all been reared from the old stools, some of 
them are beginning to decay, particularly the largest 
one J but this is only at the root of the trunk, a little 
above the surface of the ground; nothing but the 
ravages of time has done this, for its top is as green 
as ever in summer. The oak, the ash, the Scotch 
elm, and plane are growing in great numbers through 
the island j were it not that it is pastured with sheep 



66 



and cattle in summer, the whole island would soon 
be covered with wood self-sown, as the whole wood 
on the island is natural. A few years ago, when I 
surveyed this island, I advised the wealthy proprietor 
to plant the whole of it, as nothing else could be 
more advantageous and profitable, whether for natu- 
ral oak as coppice, or rearing trees to maturity ; from 
its advantages of sea carriage, it would pay uncom- 
monly well per acre, notwithstanding its rocks, it 
would soon plant itself if the cattle and sheep were 
taken away ; it needs no enclosing. The whole is« 
land, if converted into natural oak coppice to cut 
every twenty-four years, would pay at the rate of 
L.5 per acre of yearly rental. 



No. XI. 

A Neglected Coppice Wood, 

The coppice woods on these farms, covering an ex- 
tent of some hundreds of acres, and occupying land 
not capable either of cropping or pasture, yet capable 
of growing excellent oak on almost every foot of it, 
would, if properly attended to, and divided into hags, 
say twenty- four cuttings, cutting a lot yearly, be 
brought to pay at the rate of L.75 10s. sterling of an- 
nual rent every acre ; it is at present in a most shame- 
ful state of neglect. The ground in almost every part 
of it is covered with stools or stems of oak, at not 
more than three feet stool from stool, and these 
not having been thinned since last cutting, are 
completely overburdened, and are evidently killing 
each other and dying for want of nourishment, so 



67 



that the whole is stinted in their growth, and having 
been allowed to stand from ten (the youngest cut- 
ting) to sixteen years old ; it is plain to the most su- 
perficial observer, that if not thinned out immediately 
one fourth of the crop will be totally lost, and the 
whole rendered unproductive, and to say the least of 
it, not near half a crop. All coppice woods should 
be thinned the first year after being cut over, (See 
Forester's Guide on neglected Coppice,) besides, it 
may not be unworthy of notice, that, by allowing a 
coppice wood to remain in that state, it loses both in 
quantity and quality of bark, as also in usefulness of 
timber, and incurs more expense in manufacturing ; 
for instance, the bark of the whole is thinner, be- 
comes hide-bound on the tree, and requires more 
bating to take it off; of course there is less natural 
sap, so that it weighs lighter, — it is not so good in 
quality, and being sapless or hide-bound, requires 
more time and expense to take it off 5 and besides, 
none of the shoots, from their stinted state, have 
arrived at the size of spoke timber, and is only fit for 
charcoal or fire wood. It is both natural to suppose, 
and a truth that cannot be denied, that when a 
healthy tree or stool of oak is cut over, it sends out 
a greater profusion of shoots, and these in a very 
luxuriant state, — it even sends up more sap than the 
young shoots are able to absorb, and for the first two 
or three years we often see the sap running off the 
top of the stool or root, to waste. Now, if the 
saplings or young shoots are thinned out the first 
year after being cut, to three or not exceeding four 
upon the stool, these receiving all the sap after the 
first year, from the thinning, become so healthy and 
strong, that they absorb all the sap the roots send 



68 



up ; and we have often seen growths of oak, Spanish 
chesnut, ash, and plane, in three years, twelve and 
fifteen feet high, and six inches in girth at the 
roots ; it is therefore always advisable, and more 
profitable, to dress up the old stools properly, and 
rear the saplings therefrom, if fresh and wholesome, 
than to shift the shoot to be reared up to one of the 
fibres of the old roots. If there is vacant ground on 
any of the sides of the stool, the superabundant sap 
may be saved to great advantage, by laying bare 
some of the leading roots nearest it w^ith an axe, and 
it will send up a shoot or two which will fill new 
ground ; this should be particularly attended to in 
all coppice woods but liei'e we are treading in a 
coppice of from ten to sixteen years old, — and will 
thinning at this age do it good, either as to quahty 
or quantity ? I say it will. For example, I re- 
quested a proprietor of oak coppice woods in Stir- 
lingshire, for leave to try an experiment on two ne- 
glected acres of oak coppice, at the age of fifteen 
years. The wood contained about thirty acres, 
which had been all cut in one year ; with the con- 
sent of the proprietor and assistance of his land stew- 
ard and forester, we selected and measured off two 
acres as near a-kin to each other as it was possible, 
and so similar in growth, &c. that not the least dif- 
ference was perceivable betwixt them ; a halfpenny 
being tossed up which was to be the acre thinned 
out : one of the acres was immediately thinned, 
leaving three, four, and not exceeding five shoots 
on any one stool ; the thinnings were barked, 
although of course, (as should always be done,) the 



* Sec Plate 2d. Figures 3d and 3th. 



69 



unthrifty and dying shoots were taken away, still 
there was from the thinnings one ton two hundred 
weight of bark, which brought only about L.il ; the 
bark being not the best in quality. The two acres were 
allowed to grow in this state for nine years, till the 
age of tw^enty-four years from- cutting time ; and it 
is a notorious fact, that the acre thinned out pro- 
duced near a fourth part more bark than the acre 
not thinned, and the bark too of better quahty, and 
the timber of the thinned acre brought near double 
the value of the other, as many of the shoots w^ere 
fit for cot-house purposes, and not a few lor spokes. 
This show^s at once the propriety and advantage of 
thinning coppice woods, even although neglected to 
a considerable age. But it is the greatest loss and 
folly imaginable to allow natural woods to come to 
this age before being thinned, as the growth of the 
whole is injured, and of course less productive ; but 
when such has been allowed to stand too long ; still by 
giving them a thinning, they will be found both pro- 
fitable for the present crop, and advantageous for 
the growths in future, by having fresh healthy roots 
when cut over, to rear the new growths from. 



No. XIL 

Rearing up unenclosed Natural Stools. 

It is a notorious fact that throughout most of 
the counties comprising the Highlands of Scot- 
land, particularly the whole of Argyleshire, that 
there are millions of stools or roots of oak and 
some other kinds of trees detached throughout 



70 



almost the whole of the extensive fields now ap- 
propriated to sheep pasture ; nor is this to be won- 
dered at, when we consider that many thousands 
of acres of land, that was formerly carrying natural 
woods, have of late years been left unenclosed and 
set aside for pasture lands j it is no less wonderful 
than true, that, the grow^ths of these stools or roots, 
though devoured and eaten up in winter by cattle 
and sheep, are never wholly extirpated as soon as 
the grass gets up so as to afford a-^upply of meat for 
the sheep, &c. the growth gets up, and so soon as 
the grass fails, the growths or saplings are eaten up. 
Now, were these dressed up from the old root of 
the stool and enclosed singly, many a beautiful and 
truly valuable timber tree could be reared j as these 
stools send out most rapid growths, the enclosing 
would only be required for two, three, or not exceed- 
ing four years, when their tops would be totally out 
of the reach of cattle or sheep. Sheep are always 
detrimental to trees ; but when once the natural 
growths of oaks, &c. are out of their reach in the 
tops or lower twigs, there is no danger of their not 
becoming timber trees ; the method of enclosing all 
detached stools of this kind could be most effectually 
done by my portable paling, ( See Forester's Guide,) 
as the stobs and bolts could be easily carried from one 
stool to another as they are required ; or wherever 
there are larch firs, four or six stobs of larch, and 
these twisted up with the small loppings of the larch, 
will be found to stand as long, from the first putting 
up, as will be necessary, and this will cost a mere 
trifle. For example, — there is on two or three farms 
in North Napdale, Argyleshire, the property of Neill 
Malcolm, Esq, of Portalloch, (taken from actual sur- 



71 



vey,) 40,000 unenclosed oak, and 20,000 ash stools ; 
the whole not worth at present L.300 sterling, nor 
will they ever be worth much in their present un- 
protected state ; w^ere these thinned out for standing 
timber trees, in such a manner as described in my 
Forester's Guide, — say take away all the radical or 
unthrifty shoots, and leave on them one, two, or not 
exceeding three of the very best, healthiest and most 
thriving, and those most likely to become trees, such 
as were pointed out, or particularly described to the 
forester as he went on ; and on such of the stools as 
have comparatively no shoots from them, having 
been eaten up by the sheep, &c., dress such properly 
up for the growth before enclosing them, and a very 
few years after being enclosed, will put them com- 
pletely out of the reach of cattle, &;c. If this is pro- 
perly attended to, in the way and manner shown the 
forester as I went along ; in twenty years after, these 
very stools will be worth at least L. 50, 000 sterling ; 
in from Mty to sixty years, worth L. 150,000 sterling, 
timber and bark ; observe, as the old stools or roots 
are large, there will be three trees, on an average, 
reared up to maturity as timber trees from every 
stool ; besides, these trees will still be increasing in 
size for two centuries to come, notwithstanding their 
ornament and increase in value, as timber trees. Let 
every unprejudiced person, the least acquainted with 
that country, anticipate the infinite grandeur and 
beauty such trees will add to the whole country, and 
to the prosperity of the proprietor of these farms ; 
nor do they take one inch of ground from the farms, 
as by clearing away the rubbish, and confining the 
stools into two or three shoots from them, there will 
be the more grass. I suppose on these farms there 



7S 

are not four trees to an acre, so that in a few yearj^ 
the trees will be worth much more than the proprie- 
tor paid for all the lands. It may be worthy of ob- 
servation here, that the whole of these trees could be 
gained by about an outlay of L.50 for men thinning, 
dressing, and enclosing. I may also observe, that 
the wealthy proprietor has an immense number more 
on his extensive properties in that country, and has 
set about these and other improvements with spirit 
and life. I beg to add, that a great quantity of ex- 
cellent timber trees could in this way be reared up 
for the British navy. — None that ever travelled from 
the head of Glenshira to the farthest part of Kin tyre, 
or from Inverary to Campbelltown, without going one 
inch off his road, but must have seen thousands of 
such stools, and if such a quantity of timber can be 
reared, and a vast sum of money realized from a few 
stools, thereby yielding so great a profit to one indi- 
vidual ; what would be gained to numbers by attend- 
ing to it on the same extent, and this is but a small 
portion to what I could mention, and all this, I had 
almost said, within a rope's length of where vessels 
could take the timber of them on board ? 

I have often been surprised at the supineness of 
many of the proprietors in this part of the country, 
especially those who, almost a nod from them, so to 
speak, could rear up such properties to themselves 
and their posterity, — ornamental to their estates, and 
embelishments to the whole country, and my surprise 
is the more, having had the honour to be on many of 
their lands, and above all things, with my tongue and 
my pen, impressed on them this easyand profitable im- 
provement. I hope and trust this volume will help 
to awaken them from the strange lethargy in which 



73 



they Iiave been enveloped for so long a time. The 
wealthy proprietor, whose farms have just been men- 
tioned, has an extent of land little short of forty 
miles, from Eriden Lochaw to Castle Sween, and 
were that gentleman to offer me a choice of the 
woods on the wood-lands, or the rental of these farms 
for seventy-two years, with liberty to take in the un- 
enclosed stools of wood on these farms, I would take 
the woods, and by this means I would insure to my pos- 
terity, at the end of seventy- two years, a sum of at least 
L.500,000 sterling, from timber trees on these lands ; 
and have annually a good living from the three cop- 
pice cuttings, nor would this take one acre of land 
off these farms, nor one shilling of the present rentaL 
But this gentleman has already begun to appreciate 
the value of improving his woods, by establishing 
such a system, and putting the operative manage- 
ment of that system into the hands of a forester, 
whose skill, and indefatigable activity in plant- 
ing and rearing woods and plantations, will, in 
a very few years, be an immense revenue to his 
posterity. Since the first edition of this Miscellany 
was published, I have had occasion to be in the 
shires of Dumfries, Roxburgh, Berwick, and Nor- 
thumberland, and there is a very great many of such 
stools, of various kinds of wood, which, if attended 
to in the manner described, would be of immense 
value, in a very few years, to the proprietors. 

No. XIII. 

The following from the pen of the late Lord Mea- 
dowbank, in his interesting and judicious instruc- 
tions to foresters, which coincides so much with what 



7^ 



I published in the Forester's Guide, on the necessity 
of rearing underwood in belts, and the injurious plan 
of pruning firs, will not be uninteresting to my read- 
ers, and no doubt this, as well as some other extracts 
from it, would have appeared in that work, had it hap- 
pened to fall into my hands before I published it ; but 
I regret that I only saw it a short time ago : — 

His lordship says, " At first one is astonished 
that in the cultivation of parks, or of addition to 
parks of the most considerable proprietors, and of per- 
sons whose rank and consequence, lead to ex- 
pect that they have the best information of the 
damage which threaten sometimes to be irrepar- 
able, is often inflicted in the rearing of the young 
timber. The park of Duddingstone, near Edin- 
burgh, has belts of oak and other trees, which 
should rise to the first magnitude, from the breadth 
of the belts, the warmth of the chmate, and the great 
depth and richness of the soil ; but these belts have 
seemingly, with great care, been kept cleaned, not 
only of all underwood, but the lateral branches of 
the trunks have been cut off, and the winds in sum- 
mer and winter pass through them without impedi- 
ment in all directions. Hence, trees that, if toler- 
ably treated, ought to have risen to the height of 
from 80 to 120 feet, and should have already 60 to 
70 feet, will, in all probability, never attain to half the 
size that they should have attained. Had the lateral 
branches been left for a time with due subordination 
in size and position upon the trunks, the sap would 
have been invited by their loving principles, to as- 
cend to the summits of the trees, — their temperature 
would Lave been preserved as warm as the climate 
admitted of, and the sward below being also darken- 



7.5 



ed by underwood, originating seeds sown by the 
birds, would have become lank and harmless to the 
growth of the trees ; and in this way too they would 
have acquired the outline and aspect of natural 
woods, and by a judicious pruning of their tops, 
would have grov/n speedily and freely in their youth, 
while in their age they attained the greatest dimen- 
sions that the soil and climate in which they were 
planted admitted. It is quite remarkable, how in 
consequence of an abundant supply of underwood 
along the north belt of Lord Morton's park, at Dal- 
mahoy, from Burnwynd, eastward to Addiston, the 
trees that suit the soil are evidently already secure 
of attaining the first magnitude, though planted only 
about the same time with Duddingstone belts, and 
certainly not favoured by superior advantages of soil 
or climate. One would still however cherish a hope, 
that in consequence of the natural longevity of the 
oak, and the proportional duration of healthful roots 
and youthful vigour that belong to it, underwood 
and especially evergreens, such as silver firs, hollies, 
and lauro-cerasus, might still be successfully employ- 
ed to renew the vigour of such plantations ; care 
being always taken to remove trees of inferior sorts 
when they appear to encroach upon the oaks, and 
discourage their growth. But unfortunately such 
mistakes are not confined to Duddingstone, where 
the absence of the noble proprietor may account for 
the maltreatment of the park ; for one often sees 
similar mistakes elsewhere committed, and under- 
wood and lateral branches carefully cleared away 
from plantations, and even from belts, under the 
notion that it robs the trees of the larger proportion 
of nourishment they would otherwise receive. No- 



76 



thing, however, is more certain, than that the under- 
wood favours the growth of forests. 

*' In a way not more excusable, one sees in travel- 
ling to Melrose by Middleton and Bankhouse, the 
lateral branches of Scotch firs, still in extreme youth, 
carefully amputated, and even larches, which so in- 
dispensably require the balancing power of their 
branches, though rearing in sheltered situations, 
treated mercilessly in the same manner, and deci- 
duous trees too ; a few branches at the top being 
alone saved, except now and then some trifling twigs 
on the sides of the beech or oak, which seem to have 
been deemed too insignificant to obtain notice. 

" It is perfectly obvious to any person in the slight- 
est degree acquainted with the cultivation of trees^ 
that depriving larch and Scotch firs of their lateral 
branches, renders the roots that formerly nourished 
them, comparatively useless. These no longer transmit 
the same abundance of sap upwards to be prepared 
by the lateral branches ; and, of course, being com- 
paratively useless, the roots become proportionally 
inert, and the stem acquires little or no additional 
volume except from the action of the uppermost 
tiers in preparing the sap, which, however, will no 
doubt in time, though slowly, contribute to give it 
somewhat of a columnar instead of a pyramidal 
form. 

" But let it be considered what miserable dwarfs 
such trees must become, even with all the advantage 
that the lofty sloping banks of that district, and 
masses of the plantations there may continue to af- 
ford. The trees will no doubt be less agitated than 
in exposed situations ; but they are deprived mainly 
of the principal means afforded by nature for pre- 



77 



paring their sap and increasing their elevation and 
volume. The top and lateral branches form the 
great instrument for this object ; the tip of every 
branch seems to attract the sap to it upwards, in 
proportion to its tendency to elevation, though it 
may be preternatu rally favoured for a little by the 
crowding of the trees, cannot ultimately proceed 
with that certainty, uniformity, and advantage of 
general growth, which confining on the plant its due 
proportions of breadth and stomach, would enable it 
to reach. In fact, the proceeding here censured 
seems to be as absurd as to attempt raising abundant 
crops of potatoes by depriving the plants of their 
branches, save the central stems ; or feeding an ox 
by means of taking measures for diminishing the ca- 
pacity of his stomach, or the membranes of his lungs, 
when the juices furnished by the stomach are exposed 
under due precautions to the action of the different 
grasses, under the excitement of a particular tem- 
perature." 

I have been in company with some English proprie- 
tors of w^oods -who argued, that Scotch firs will not 
thrive and grow to any size, nor become good tim- 
ber ; this, however, shows that all such have never 
seen the Highlands of Scotland. There is on the 
hill of Dunequach, and on some of the hills of Glen- 
shira, and Glenaira, estate of Inverary, the property 
of his Grace the Duke of Argyle, Scotch firs of the 
greatest magnitude, and exposed to the storm from 
all quarters, growing many hundreds of feet above 
the level of the sea j many of these trees have from 
40 to 60 feet of a trunk, and contain 100 solid feet 
of timber, equal to the best Memel timber ; there are 



also fine large Scotch firs in many places of Inver- 
ness and Ross-shires, on high exposed situations. 

There is on the estate of Tollymore Park, Ireland, 
the beautiful seat of Earl Roden, according to a va- 
luation made in 1826, nearly L.100,000 worth of grow- 
ing wood, and with the exception of a very few trees, 
the whole do not exceed sixty years growth ; while 
the ground these trees occupy could hardly be turned, 
with advantage, to any other purpose ; many of the 
larch firs on that estate have been cut away as thin- 
nings to improve those to remain, and have brought 
L.5 and upwards ; several clusters of these firs con- 
tain upwards of 1000 trees on an acre, and at an 
average value, will sell for L.8 per tree ; some silver 
firs planted at the same time, now contain 140 solid 
feet, and worth L.IO per tree ; many of these trees 
grow in a very elevated and exposed situation. 

The noble proprietor is still going on enclosing 
and planting, and has, within these two years, most 
judiciously planted upwards of 300 acres of the waste 
lands on his estate. The profits his lordship is de- 
riving from his plantations, though only cutting for 
improvement, hold out the most cheering prospects, 
and should bestir other proprietors to go and do like- 
wise. 

. It is astonishing that proprietors should be so 
backward to their own interests, by not taking greater 
care of the plantations already on their estates, and 
planting more of their waste lands, when to a cer- 
tainty they hold out such inducements to profit. So 
attentive were our ancestors to insure a proper sup- 
ply of timber, that the proprietors of woods were 
compelled by the statute of the 31st of Henry the 
VIII. to leave twelve of the best standrils on every 



79 



acre of coppice, at each fall ; together with a due 
proportion of younger branches for succession ; and 
were at the same time restricted from cutting any of 
the former, till they should measure forty inches in 
circumference, at five feet from the ground. 

In many parts in the Highlands of Scotland, and 
particularly in Ireland, woods suffer much by the 
hands of the pilferer, particularly so in all places where 
coals are high in price, and other kinds of fuel scarce 5 
in many places great mischief is done by wantonness 
to young plantations ; and wherever this is the case, 
it really should be punished to the utmost. The 
following Acts of Parliament, so far back as 1685, 
which may not be generally known, well deserves a 
place here, as it shows very strongly the regard our 
ancestors had for the protecting and rearing of 
w^oods, &c. : — 

Copy of Acts of* Parliament regarding the destroying 
of Trees. 

Act of Parliament, 1685, cap. 39, it is inter alia, 
statuted and ordained, " That no person shall cut, 
break or pull up any tree, or peel the bark off any 
tree, under the penalty of ten pounds Scots, (l6s. 
8d.) for each tree within ten years old, and twenty 
pounds Scots, (L.l, 13s. 4d.) for every tree above 
that age. The havers and users of the timber of any 
tree so cut, broken, or pulled up, are declared liable 
to the same penalty, unless they can produce the per- 
son from whom they got it. And if the person con- 
victed be not able to pay the fine, he is decerned to 
work a day for each half mark contained in the fine, 
to the heritor whose plantation has been cut down or 
broken." 



so 



The same act ordains, That no persons break 
down or fill up any ditch, liedge, or dyke, by which 
ground is enclosed, or leap, or suffer their horse, colt 
or sheep, to go over any ditch, hedge, or dyke, 
under the penalty of ten pounds Scots, toties quoties^ 
whereof half to the heritor, and the other half for 
mending and repairing bridges and highways within 
the parish, at the sight of the sheriff, steward, or jus- 
tice of the peace, before whom the contraveners 
shall be pursued." 

The act 1698, cap. 16, ordains, " That tenants 
and cottars, (cottagers) preserve growing wood and 
planting upon the ground they possess ; and that 
none of it be cut, broken, or pulled up by the roots, 
or the bark peeled, under the penalty of L.IO Scots, 
for each tree under ten years old, and L.20 Scots, 
for each tree above that age, to be exacted by the 
masters allenariy." 

By statute 1st Geo. I. sess. 2, c. 18, it is enacted, 
" That if any one shall mischievously break down, 
cut up, bark, destroy, or spoil any timber tree^ fruit 
tree, or other tree, the person damaged shall receive 
satisfaction and recompence from the inhabitants of 
the parish, town, hamlet, villa, or place, to be re- 
covered by way of summary action for damages, as 
in other cases of riots ; unless the party offending 
shall be convicted by such parish, &c. within six 
months. Upon complaint made by the parish, ham- 
let, villa, or place, or by the owner of the trees, or 
by any other, to two or more justices of the peace, 
the offender is, when convicted, to suffer imprison- 
ment, and whipping, and is not to be discharged till 
he find securities for his good behaviour for two 
years." And by the same act, If any person ma- 

4 



81 



licioLisly set on fire, burn, or cause to be burned, any 
wood, underwood, or coppice, he is to suffer as a 
wilful fire-raiser." 



No. XIV. 
Great Chesnut Tree on Mount Etna. 

[[A friend having sent me a drawing of the Great Spanish Chesnut Tree 
upon Mount Etna, with a description of it, which 1 here subjoin as a 
treat to every lover of trees, and the more readily, as in the sequel it 
will be seen, that I not unfrequently recommend the propagation of 
the Spanish chesnut, both as a profitable and ornamental tree.^ 

The Spanish or sweet chesnut always, grows to an 
immense size in every country. The largest in the 
known world is that which grows upon Mount Etna, 
in Sicily. " This celebrated tree exceeds the size of 
other trees so much, that it cannot fail to excite the 
greatest admiration. It has its name from the fol- 
lowing circumstance: — Jean of Arragon spent some 
time in Sicily on her way from Spain to Naples. 
While here, she visited Mount Etna, attended by her 
principal nobihty, and happening to be overtaken 
by a storm, they took shelter under this tree, whose 
branches were sufficiently extensive to cover them all. 

" A celebrated traveller reports this tree to be one 
hundred and sixty feet in circumference, but quite 
hollow within, which however affects not its verdure ; 
for the chesnut tree, like the willow, depends upon 
its bark for subsistence, and by age loses its inter- 
nal part. As the cavity of this enormous mass is 
very considerable, the people have built a house in 
it, where they have an oven for drying nuts, almonds, 



82 



chesnuts, &c. of which they make conserves. They 
frequently supply themselves with wood from the tree 
which encircles their house, so that it seems Hkeiy 
in a short time to go to ruin through the ingratitude 
and thoughtlessness of its inhabitants. Besides this, 
there are abundance of other trees of the same species 
in the neighbourhood very remarkable for their size, 
all very beautiful and straight, and almost as smooth 
as polished marble ; one of them measured thirty- 
eight feet in circumference, and there were numbers 
of others nearly of the same size. Among these there 
were seven standing together, which have received 
the name of the seven brethren ; another is deno- 
minated the ship, from the general figure of its top, 
which has some slight resemblance to a ship. Its 
diameter is twenty-five feet, so that the circum.fer- 
ence cannot be less than seventy-five feet." 

That the Spanish chesnut will thrive well in all 
parts of this country there is no doubt, if properly 
cultivated. There was standing a few years ago at 
Fortworth, in Gloucestershire, a chesnut tree fifty- 
two feet round, and it is proved to have stood there 
ever since the year 1150, and was then so remark- 
able, that it was called the great chesnut of Fort- 
worth. It fixes the boundary of the manor, and is 
probably one thousand years old. 

There are seventeen trees of Spanish chesnut in the 
lawn called Wintertown, near the Castle of Inverary, 
the seat of his Grace the Duke of Argyle. The ave- 
rage solid feet in each tree 155 ; some of them girths 
upwards of 20 feet a little above the ground. In the 
old garden wood, near the castle, are forty-five trees 
averaging nearly 100 feet each ; these trees, before 
some of them began to fall into decay, were worth 



83 



upwards of L.^000 sterling ; many of them are tall 
magnificent trees, nothing can excel them in beauty. 
The chesnut, as an ornamental tree, is excelled by 
none and equalled by few, and it has a degree of 
greatness belonging to it, which strongly recommends 
it to the forester's attention ; its properties as timber 
have been pointed out and recommended elsewhere 
in this book. I may here add, that its timber is uni- 
versally allowed to be excellent for liquor casks, not 
being liable to shrink, nor to change the colour of 
the liquor it contains. Its fruit too is valuable, not 
only for swine and deer, but as human food ; bread 
is said to have been made of it and found very 
wholesome ; upon the whole, the Spanish chesnut, 
whether in the light of ornament or use, is most un- 
doubtedly an object of great admiration. 

There is a chesimt on the estate of Gask, Perth- 
shire, which girths twelve feet in the trunk, the 
branches of which spread to a great extent, covering 
no less than three hundred feet in circumference, 
of course a most magnificent tree. See the prolific 
Spanish chesnut on the estate of Riccarton, elsewhere 
described in this work. 

No. XV. 

Cnochgamgoach ; or, Alexander M'DonalcVs Camp. 

[[Stroneskar, on the estate of Neill Malcolm, Esq. of Poltalloch, near 
Lochaw, Argyleshire.]] 

The beautiful old Scotch firs on this artificial knoll 
are of an excellent quality, and are still healthy and 
thriving, although assailed by boisterous winds, un- 
protected and unsheltered in all directions ; all pos- 



84 



sible care should be taken of these venerable trees 
to preserve them from external injury ; as from their 
detached and elevated situation, they are a great 
ornament to the whole of this part of the country, 
and it is probable, were growing on this fairy knoll 
when this part of Scotland was over-run and plun- 
dered by the Irish warrior, Alexander M 'Donald, 
commonly called Sandy McDonald, about two cen- 
turies ago, when they would be mute witnesses of 
his rueful countenance when informed of the name 
of this knoll ; his nurse, who was possessed of the 
gift of prophecy, or prying into futurity, told him 
that all his adventures would prosper with him till 
he stood on Cnochgamgoach, when the scales would 
be turned against him, and in all his future adven- 
tures he would be worsted, which, as history in- 
forms us, turned out to be the case. There are other 
old trees on this farm, which, in this part of the 
country are a great beauty ; these venerable produc- 
tions of nature speak more than volumes, to what 
a degree of maturity and perfection, these noble 
works of nature can be brought to in this part of the 
country ; nothing but the ravages of time, that great 
leveller, and I may add, the lapse of two centuries, 
has brought some of those stately trees to show 
symptoms of decay ; a person must be filled with 
delight and wonder on seeing trees unprotected 
and uncared for, towering to the clouds in magni- 
ficent grandeur, and bidding defiance to the storms 
and tempests which has, during these two hundred 
years past, shaken to their foundations the strongest 
castles built by human art and ingenuity, and laid 
many of them in ruins when clad in their summer / 

* It is a well known fact that there are a great many old castles, once very 
strong places of defence and safety in this part of the country, now in ruins. 




Engraved for Monte aChs Miscellaneotis Reports of Woods & naaitati oils &e..tc. 



85 



robes, they look down on all the boasted pride of 
man, and verify, that " Solomon in all his glory was 
not arrayed like one of these/' He must be void of 
feeling and hard-hearted indeed, that would not be 
sorry to see these noble productions of nature that 
has bid defiance to the ravages of centuries, yet re- 
turning to their original nothing, especially when he 
calls up a single reflection on his own momentary ex- 
istence. 

No. XVI. 

Explanation of the Plates. 

Plate I.— The Great Chesnut Tree on Mount Et- 
na. See No. XIV. page 81. 

Plate II. Fig. 1. — This is intended to represent a 
pollard tree, which is an excellent method of thin- 
ning out groves of old full grown trees, where orna- 
ment and screen is absolutely necessary to be kept 
up. See No. IV. p. 52. It may be only neces- 
sary here to remark, that this is also an excellent 
method when trees of a large size are to be trans- 
planted into exposed situations, to pollard them one 
or two years before removing them, and allowing the 
scions to make some progress in growth after the 
top has been amputated, in the same manner as pre- 
paring the roots in transplanting old trees. {See Fo- 
rester's Guide,) It may be also necessary to re- 
mark, that if the trunk of the tree is solid where 
cut over, it should always be dressed up to a 
point in the centre to make the wet run freely off it, 
and also to prevent any dust or rubbish from lying 
on or getting in betwixt the bark and the trunk so 



86 



as to injure it ; this should be carefully attended to 
when healthy trees are pollarded. When it is old 
decaying trees. See No. V. p. 56. 

Plate 11. Fig. 2, — This is intended for a represen- 
tation of the converting of natural growths or stools 
into standing timber trees ; see this method also ful- 
ly explained in Forester's Guide. Beautiful growths 
of this description are to be seen in many places ; 
but it must have struck every person with delight on 
passing those on the public road near Stirling, to 
Dunbarton, and betwixt Thornhill and Dumfries. 
See the propriety and profits of this method, No. 
XII. p. 69. 

Plate II. Fig. 3. — Represents a coppice stool hav- 
ing been properly cut and thinned out in time ; the 
shoots to the left shows them occupying new ground, 
from roots laid open, rearing from the old stool. 
See No. XL p. 66. 

Fig. 4. — Represents a tree cut high above the sur- 
face of the ground, so that the shoots or wafers never 
come to be of any value either as to wood or bark, 
and are always loose and apt to be broken off by snow 
or otherwise. 

Fig. 5. — Represents something of the same kind, 
which method of cutting should always be guarded 
against, as it is never productive. See this fully ex- 
plained in the Forester's Guide, 

Plate II. Fig. 6. — This is a representation of a tree 
growing by way of miracle, from an old stool, never 
having been enclosed or cared for ; yet had grown 
up both to be useful timber and beautiful ; but see 
the contrast in point of value, betwixt this and Fig. 2. 
which had been enclosed. See No. XIL p. 69. 

Plate III Spanish chesnut at Riccarton. See 

title page, and an account of the tree elsewhere. 



87 



No. XVII. 

It will be seen in Plantation, No. XLV. (Deer 
Park,) that I recommend having roads or rides 
through woods, as no small acquisition, and this is 
particularly the case when in the neighbourhood of 
a mansion, being equally a refuge from the heat in 
summer and the cold of winter. Where these are in 
dens, &c. where there are rivulets of water, with 
bridges crossing for the private walks of a family, 
where there is only heard the humming of birds and 
sounding of the rivulet, it must be enchantingly 
beautiful. Besides, such roads make the woods of 
easy access for the proprietor, and brings him ac- 
quainted with what his woods contain. To persons 
of opulence, who are proud of such property, roads 
of this description tastefully laid out must be parti- 
cularly gratifying ; all such roads should curve so far, 
that tthe wind cannot traverse any great length 
through them ; an additional advantage which such 
roads and bridges afford, where necessary, is the fa- 
cility of transporting the timber, bark, &c. 

In all places requiring bridges, I beg to call the 
attention of my readers to those made of iron, either 
for foot walks or carriage ways, being cheap, dura- 
ble, and ornamental. The most modern, cheapest, and 
best made iron ones I have seen, are those erected 
by Mr. John Justice of Dundee ; a short description 
of them may not be uninteresting to many of my 
readers, and of some importance to such as may be 
intendmg to erect any similar. The suspension 
bridges, designed and executed by Mr. Justice, differ 
from others, owing to the ingenious way they are 



ss 



constructed j in my opinion, more strength is also 
produced from less iron than in any that I previous- 
ly knew of. I have recently seen one erected by 
him in 1823, for Colonel Chalmers, at Glenericht, 
the country seat of that gentleman. The span of 
which is 104 feet, the road 10 feet wide, with a car- 
riage way in the middle, and a narrow footpath on 
each side. This bridge is capable of bearing any 
weight that can be put on it ; indeed, the first trial 
was seven loaded carts, each drawn by one horse, 
so as they could be all on it together. 

This bridge is supported by two strong chains un- 
der the roadway, each of them proved, before put- 
ting up, to carry a strain of 25 tons ; but the prin- 
cipal strength lies in twenty-eight suspension rods, 
each of them was also proved, before being put up, 
to carry 20 tons ; so that the strength is superior in 
a tenfold degree to any weight that can go on it. 

Notwithstanding the great strength produced, ow- 
ing to the way it is constructed, there are only 2 tons 
of fine iron in the suspension rods, bottom chains, 
back stays, and every thing else in anyway suspend- 
ing or bearing the strain of that ponderous weight ; 
and about 3 tons more of common English Iron, ap- 
plied, in main posts, at the ends, (to save mason 
work,) and the cross beams or joists for supporting 
the road-way, and other parts where tenacity is not 
required. 

All parts of this bridge contribute jointly to the 
general strength, as well as severally to that of their 
respective places; and any part, except the main posts, 
may be taken away at pleasure without weakening 
the general structure, more than the mere use of that 
part taken away ; which must be of great use in case 



89 



of repairs being required in the lapse of time, and I 
believe the expense was not one-third of what a stone 
bridge would have cost, although plenty of stone is 
to be found on the spot. 

Besides bridges for carriages, Mr. Justice has erect- 
ed a number of foot bridges, some of which are up- 
wards of sixty feet span, and which did not cost more 
than L.40, including mason work ; and these not on- 
ly carry as many people as can go on them at once, 
but as many horses. Bridges of the same span, for 
carriages, will cost more, independent of mason 
work. These bridges are adapted to every situa- 
tion, but some situations will cost much less than 
others. 

I may also observe, that in wooded dens and ra- 
vines, where there is rock on both sides, which is of- 
ten the case, these bridges could be erected at an ex- 
pense of little more than twenty shillings for mason 
work, and put up by an ordinary mechanic, as they 
are all put together and proven at the factory. 

No. XVIII. 

The following plantations, though the names of 
the estate, or particular spot where they grow, is not 
given, yet they are so particularly described, and the 
method of planting, draining, thinning, pruning, and 
rearing, is so minutely entered into, that no forester 
or rearer of woods will be at any loss at once to dis- 
cover a proper method of recovery and improvement 
for every corresponding wood or plantation under 
their management, on any estate in Great Britain or 
Ireland. 



90 



Wood. 

This long bank of wood is really in a miserable 
state of neglect. There are, for about three or four 
perches-length, from the east end ascending the 
bank, where there are some very good trees, chiefly 
ash, but on proceeding above that, there is little else 
but trash or natural stool of alders, a few ash and 
beech, and particularly, a little before arriving at the 
bridge that crosses the river and onwards to the top, 
there are hardly any thing but trash of that kind. 
Here we come into a very marshy place for a good 
way, which should, and could be very easily drained, 
by cutting open drains through it. As this is a most 
excellent bank for a natural oak wood, which is both 
fery profitable and ornamental in a place of this kind, 
while in its present state it will not pay, or even come 
to be useful to the estate in any sense, if allowed 
to remain as it is ; indeed, it is still getting worse 
by the trash killing what might have come to 
be good trees ; besides, it is just so much lost land 
to the property. The method to be followed here, 
and to recover this almost lost place, is to go care- 
fully over the whole, beginning at the east end, 
marking all the healthy and thriving trees of oak, 
ash, and elm, or other hard wood trees that there 
is any hope of rearing to maturity as timber trees ; 
and here I would also recommend a selection to be 
made from amongst the natural stools of ash, &c. 
although these may not come to maturity as tim- 
ber trees, yet they may stand a few years, to keep 
up the look of it as a wood, till others come up j 
marking all such trees with paint, and then cut 



91 



over the whole of the others, clearing the bank of 
brushwood, &c. and plant the whole ground with 
oak, at eight feet, plant from plant, convert the 
whole into a natural bank of oak coppice, which 
will not only be the most profitable, but also most 
ornamental when turned into this purpose, and will 
pay an annual rental of at least L.7, 10s. per acre 
for ages to come, and that without any expense 
whatever of keeping it up — ^it is already well en- 
closed. Keeping always the thrifty trees of old tim- 
ber standing, or maidens as they are generally term- 
ed, amongst the coppice, which will keep up its 
look as a plantation of standing timber trees ; the 
coppice will not only be beautiful, always healthy 
and thriving, but will also afford excellent shelter 
for game, say pheasants, &c. and being so near the 
mansion, this is a consideration of consequence. 
This should be set about immediately with spirit. 
The alder, and other wood to be taken out, will 
do much more than pay the expense ; as they 
will bring in a great deal of money, in cutting 
up into barrel staves. — Let it be understood, that 
by cutting up the staves, a great deal more money 
will be realized from the cuttings than otherwise. 
There is a small clump of spruce and other firs at the 

top of this bank, below 's cottage, very 

thriving, which clearly shows what fine wood could 
be reared here. The row of old trees along the 
top should all be reserved till the coppice, &c. 
come up. A circular saw, to go by water or other- 
wise, could be put on a threshing machine for about 
twelve pounds, which would be extremely useful for 
cutting up the staves, as also fire-wood for the house 



92 



use, and will do it at the sixth part of the expense of 
common labour. 

No. XIX. 

Field. 

The row of trees at the top, and otherwise round 
this field, as also the row of old trees running up the 
centre of the field, should be allowed to stand, as when 
viewed at a distance, from their elevated situation, 
they are very ornamental ; there are a very few dwarf- 
ish trees in the row along the top, that nev^er can get 
up, which may be taken away with propriety ; but 
these will not exceed five or six in number, as the 
more that stands the better it looks while they conti- 
nue green. All trees in single rows round enclo- 
sures should be thinned out to proper distances when 
young, because when allowed to press upon each 
other till they are old, they for the most part get bad 
tops, and never are good looking trees; when ne- 
cessity makes it necessary to take some away, those 
left have always bad tops on the side where the other 
tree whipped it, and ten to one if ever it will recover 
branches to become a proper tree. I grant, that trees 
in single rows, having two open sides to extend their 
branches on, will do closer than those in plantations 
that are pressed on all sides ; still all single rows 
should be thinned out to proper distances before they 
be twelve feet in height, and all the branches left on 
them to make them as ornamental as possible. Trees 
for this purpose should not stand closer than fifteen 
feet, tree from tree, even in single rows. 



93 



No. XX. 

iu— Wood. 

This wood has got a good thinning, and the stools 
of the ash being well dressed up, they are for the 
most part sending out most vigorous and strong shoots 
from the old stools, and in a few years a great many 
better trees from the old stools will be reared up, 
than the old ones ; the wood is now well enclosed. 
But it is like locking the stable door after the horse 
is stolen ; the sheep and cattle having got in be- 
fore, have injured a great many of the young growths, 
they will however come on, being now protect- 
ed. A good many of the dwarfish ash trees may yet 
be cut over and allowed to stool, as some of them in 
their present state never will be trees. This should 
be done with a good many, indeed with all that are 
not likely to be proper trees otherwise ; where wet, 
drain, plant up the blanks with oaks, and fill the 
whole ground up with underwood, as shelter for 
game, &c. 

No. XXL 

JTood, 

This wood has been skilfully and most effectually 
drained, which is the life of the standing trees, of the 
plants already in, as it will be of those to be put in ; 
a few of the scraggy ash trees and of the alders, may 
still be taken out, rear up from their stools, particu- 



94 



larly the ash, which will make much more ornamen- 
tal and better trees in quality of timber here ; fill up 
with plants of oak, beech and elm j rear all the new 
growths, even of hazel, &c. for underwood, with which 
it should be always covered, as it will cover over the 
drains, and give a much more agreeable look to the 
surface of the wood. This part of the plantations 
will very soon show the excellent effects of drain- 
ing, will now carry fine timber trees, of almost 
every description. I would say to the forester, go 
and do likewise to all the other marshy wet places. 
I have known many old trees, even apparently dead, 
when the ground was allowed to lie wet, recovered 
by judicious surface draining. 



No. XXII. 
V Glen. 

*' Nothing exaggerate, extenuate, or set down aught in malice.** 

This bank of old wood on the left, going up, re- 
quires filling up, which should be done with plants of 
oak, Spanish chesnut, plane, and elm. Where very 
wet, surface drain — where damp and cannot begot per- 
fectly drained, plant willow tree and poplar, a few 
spruce firs may also be put in the bank. On the right, 
going up, is a bank of very fine young trees, chiefly 
oak, which, in my opinion is very properly done, it 
is thriving, and if attended £o as it ought, it will soon 
be a very fine bank of valuable timber trees. Ob- 
serve the method of thinning as laid down in planta- 
tion No. IV. There is a fine single row of old trees, 



chiefly beech, between Meadow Park and this glen, 
which is very ornamental, and should always be kept 
up to two or not exceeding three oaks, completely 
over-topped, near the south end in the hollow, which 
may be taken away without any injury to the remain- 
ing trees, or to their look, nor could they do harm 
but good, nothing more should ever be taken out of 
it. There are two very fine oaks on the new line of 
road which stand singly, and I was truly sorry to see 
their roots so cut up, as I think it would be a great 
pity, besides an injury to the look of the place, par- 
ticularly in driving up the new road, if they were 
allowed to fall down, it would be well to lay the 
earth again, forming a circuit to their roots ; cause 
the road sweep round them if possible, to keep them 
alive and standing. Crossing the rivulet of water, 
above the bridge, the whole ground, which is excel- 
lent for rearing planting, is covered with trash of al- 
der, which should be wholly cut over, the ground 
drained by open cuts, and planted with ash, oak, elm, 
plane, beech, spruce, and silver firs. 

Passing towards the top of the glen, there is a 
plantation of fine young trees. Again, I am under 
the painful necessity of reprimanding the system of 
pruning which has been practised here, the most ruin- 
ous that could be possibly carried on, and it is fully 
a century and a half since such a plan has been known 
or in existence. Here are to be seen the most heal- 
thy and thriving young trees that could be imagined 
or seen any where 5 indeed they have been coming 
up, most vigorous, perfect models of beauty as 
trees, till the murdering hand of the pruner has dis- 
figured a great many, 1 may say almost every one of 



96 



them, in such a shocking and shameful manner, that 
such a display of careless ignorance never did before 
come under my inspection in all the course of my 
profession. In taking a back look ol' the part of this 
glen we have just now left, we may say that the fo- 
rester, like the insatiable tyrant death, has surely 
begun at the wrong end of his work, by passing 
over decrepid and worn out trees, already falling 
down with old age, and nipping infancy in its bud, 
and youth in all its blooming and vigorous beauty. 
Here are to be seen trees stripped naked of all their 
branches on the one side, and that too from the root 
to the very top — even the principal top shoots, in a 
great many cases, are not spared, which has so dis- 
figured a great may fine trees, that they never will be 
proper ornamental trees. The whole of this planta- 
tion should be immediately gone over, and carefully 
thinned out to the distance of about ten feet, tree from 
tree, or as near as can be. In the thinning, the great- 
est skill and caution is necessary, being particularly 
careful to spare the oak, Scotch elm, Spanish chesnut, 
plane, and spruce firs, so as to rear as many of them al- 
ternately at the distance as can be saved. In six or eight 
years after, this whole bank should be again gone over, 
and thinned out to about twenty feet, or as near as 
can be, at which distance they may be then reared 
up to maturity, as a standing bank of ornamental 
timber trees. Taking care, as aforesaid, to spare 
always the healthiest and most likely to be the long- 
est lived and most ornamental trees. The whole 
ground should be kept close covered with under- 
wood, which can be easily done by dressing up for 
growth, the stools of the oak, Spanish chesnut, elms, 

planes, and ash to be reared from the stools. Where 

1 



97 



there is a choice, take away the tree that has been 
most disfigured in pruning. I must observe, that 
in all places of this kind, where the soil is rich and 
good for rearing trees, they should never be planted 
so thick as they have been here ; because when al- 
lowed to stand too long in such a thick state, they 
not only injure each other by getting bad tops, but 
the roots are also injured, as a mortification of the 
roots oftentimes takes place, and sometimes kills the 
whole, or stints them in the growth so as to make 
the whole unthrifty and delicate looking trees. 
Another injury done by too thick planting in good 
soil when not thinned out very early is, the ground 
gets so loose about the roots lhat they shake with 
the wind, so as not only to be easily blown down, but 
the whole trees are deprived of proper nourishment ; 
such is the case with this plantation, as a person may 
put his hand to the tree in many places and push it 
over by the root ; hence many of the spruce firs, 
although not above the height of twelve feet, have 
been blown down. The trees here have been put 
in at a distance of only three and four feet when 
planted. Observe that in planting all such soils, the 
plants, say the kinds of trees to be reared up to 
maturity, should always be planted at regular dis- 
tances, say ten feet, plant from plant, then it is no 
expense nor difficulty to thin them out regularly ; 
but in much exposed places a nurse tree may be put 
in betwixt each, which should be early taken away ; 
by attending to this method of planting, it will be 
very easy to leave it in the power of any one, with- 
out much expense or stretch of ingenuity, to raise 
up plantations to maturity as timber-trees, whether 
for profit or for ornament. I have been the more 

H 



98 



particular here, as it is the first plantation of the 
kind on the estate that has come under my eye, and 
should any more similar plantations occur, I will 
only give reference to the system here laid down. 
I may further observe, that the rearing up of young 
plantations on a nobleman or gentleman^s property 
is of far greater importance than many, even pro- 
prietors themselves, are apt to imagine, and the si- 
tuation of a forester on an estate such as this, is one 
of the very first and greatest responsibility, and only 
men of ability, of enterprise, and of genius, should 
be entrusted with the management of planting and 
rearing woods as foresters. If a forester has any re- 
gard at all for his own character, he will duly consider 
that he is not only working for his present proprietor, 
and his posterity, but for his king and for his coun- 
try, always remembering that the sea-girt islands of 
Great Britain are deeply interested in the operation 
of rearing plantations of timber trees for navy pur- 
poses — what is the ofiice of a landed proprietor's 
factor or agent, what is the office of a land steward, 
what is the office of a gardener, what is the office 
of any servant about a nobleman's estabhshment 
when compared with his ? If I durst hazard the 
remark, I would say the forester that has extensive 
tracts of plantation to make and rear, and who does 
it judiciously, it may be said of him in some future 
day, laying his employer's interest aside for one 
moment, that he has done more for the interest of 
the nation in preparing materials for her wooden 
walls, than the bee-headed statesman, who not only 
keeps the national house to which he belongs in a 
buz — 



99 



But puts Whigs and Tories in each others ears, 
And make them agree like wasps and bees. 

To observe once for all, the forester, before begin- 
ning to thin or prune this or any other plantation, 
should earnestly pause and hold a consultation, not 
only with his employers, but within his own breast, 
deliberately asking himself for what future purpose 
or design is the plantation intended. Is it for cop- 
pice, say solely for profit, or to rear up trees to 
maturity, that will in the end bring the most money 
to the estate — or is it to rear trees to stand to per- 
fection for generations, as ornamental on the estate 5 
and according to the different propositions fixed on, 
his conduct in planting, pruning, and thinning should 
be regulated. 

I beg leave here to state, that whenever the situa- 
tion for a plantation is fixed on, the future purpose 
it is intended to serve on the estate should always be 
determined on and planted accordingly, and a fixed 
data laid down for its future government ; without 
which, the planter, but particularly the forester or 
rearer up of the plantation, is like a pilot on board a 
ship, in the midst of the ocean, without either com- 
pass or helm. The want of this fixed rule, with a 
strict attention to the plants to suit situation and 
soil, has been the ruin of many a plantation, and the 
waste of much money to a proprietor who plants 
either with a view for ornament, screen, shelter, or 
profit, not to mention the great loss or waste of time 
in a proprietor's getting his plantation to become a 
wood scenery, or to serve the purpose for which he 
intended them, which not being like any other crop, 
sown in spring and reaped in autumn, may not 
be in his lifetime ; of course, it not only is a great 



100 



waste of money, but is a great disappointment j be- 
sides the want of a strict attention to this one thing, 
nine plantations out of ten misgive altogether ; 
hence, the general hue and cry against planting, as 
say they, we will never see them either ornamental 
or profitable ; whereas, by a due attention to the 
aforesaid, a very few years will give a proprietor both 
ornamental and profitable plantations. See this ex- 
plained at large in my Forester's Guide, and Profit- 
able Planter, second edition. 



No. XXIIL 
Field. 

The row of old trees in this field should be al- 
lowed to stand ; not one tree taken out, as it has a 
very commanding and beautiful look at a distance, as 
has also the strip at the head of the field ; it aflPords 
shelter to the adjoining fields, as well as ornamental 
to the place — ^being planted and formed at first on too 
narrow a principle, nothing can with safety or pro- 
priety be taken out of it. Strips and belts of plant- 
ing made of this kind for shelter and ornament^ 
should never be less than one hundred feet broad, 
and always attended to in the thinning out as early 
as possible, say when the trees are at a height of 
eighteen or twenty feet ; they should be thinned out 
at equal distances of twenty-five feet, tree from tree, 
or if in very exposed places, to twenty feet, at which 
they may stand as a finished strip or belt of planting, 
taking special care to have them standing in a trian- 
gular form, facing the wind. Observe, the thinning 



101 



must be done gradually, from the trees having been 
six feet high. 

No. XXIV. 

Grove, 

In this grove there is a number of fine trees, which 
have arrived at a considerable degree of perfection, 
notwithstanding their having been altogether neglect- 
ed in the rearing. Let it be carefully observed and 
always kept in view, that all plantations, whether in 
large or small clusters, should be regularly and gra- 
dually thinned out. Here the soil is very rich, but 
the situation much exposed, so that it is altoge- 
ther impossible to thin a single tree out of it with 
safety. In all places of this kind, when trees are taken 
out, they should be grubbed out by the roots. No- 
thing can be more disgusting to strangers, or to the 
proprietor himself, when walking through his fine 
lawn, to see the old roots of trees cut so high above 
the surface, strangers would be ready to draw a hasty 
conclusion, and say, surely these trees, particularly 
where a blank is perceivable, have been cut out to 
make a little money, or for some such necessitous 
purpose ; it would add much to bettering the look 
of this and some other places in a similar state, were 
these old roots taken out. The blemishes in the 
healthy trees should be carefully dressed up as for- 
merly recommended, and the whole allowed to stand 
without any cutting, unless where a tree becomes 
perfectly dead, which should always be taken out 



102 



before the timber of it be useless. All the blanks 
should be filled up amongst these trees ; this should 
be done with oak, Spanish chesnut, Scotch fir, elm, 
plane, spruce, and silver firs j these, when put in, 
must be enclosed singly, to protect them from the 
cattle. It would be advisable to put these in plenti- 
fully, so as a choice of proper trees may be obtained 
to rear for ornament, as also to supply the place of 
those dying out or blown down, and to keep a pro- 
per crop of fine trees always on the ground. 

No. XXV. 

Pasture Land, 

There is a young clump of planting near the head 
of this field which would be very ornamental, and 
has been at first well chosen and laid out as such, 
but it has been allowed of late to fall sadly into de- 
cay ; the fences are all broke down and sheep ad- 
mitted ; nothing could be more destructive ; the 
fences should be immediately made good, and the 
blanks filled up with spruce firs, oak, and Spanish 
chesnut. The strip of trees running along the head 
of this park, should always be kept up; wherever 
there are gaps, plants should be put in, and when- 
ever any of the trees show symptoms of decay or 
dying, plants should always be put in to supply 
their places, and reared up as large as possible 
before the others be taken away. There are a 
number of very fine old detached trees through 
this park, as also several clusters, all of which 
should be preserved and kept up with the greatest 



103 



care. There are several blanks in the clusters 
which should be filled up ; also a number of sin- 
gle trees could be put in throughout this park, parti- 
cularly in the high parts of it, with great propriety 
and advantage to the look of the place, and to pro- 
tect them, enclose singly, as before recommended. 
With great advantage, a number of transplanted old 
pollard trees could be put in, which would greatly 
improve the look of this field. 

. No. XXVL 

— Meadow. 

In the clusters and rows of trees in this meadow^ 
there has been some of the most unaccountable cut- 
ting and thinning that I have ever met with : — For 
the most part a number of trees, not fewer than six 
and seven in many places, particularly the north 
side, have been all cut out of one place, which has 
made great blanks and gaps in many places. Healthy 
trees have been cut out very lately, and that not a 
few, which is spoiling these plantations very much, 
and in such a wanton manner, as it is totally impos- 
sible to account for such conduct. What the hand 
of the unskilful and merciless thinner has thought 
worth his while to leave, the ravages of winter have 
laid hold of ; the improper thinning has let in and 
laid open to the storm many places, so that numbers 
are now and then blown down, and will be so to the 
end — plant as in No, XXIV. The roots of the trees 
cut are left so high, that it is really, to a lover oi' a 
beautiful lawn and fine trees, truly disgusting. 



104 



Dress up all the wounds of the trees here ; keep the 
whole up as long as possible — cut not a single tree 
out till they are dead in the top and root — before 
losing the timber, pollard such trees as die in the 
top, while they live in the roots, so as to become or- 
namental — plant in close, and fill up the blanks, as 
advised and directed in plantation, No. XXIV. No 
one will dispute the claims of the trees in this field, 
both as to shelter and ornament, and they deserve a 
degree of attention more than has hitherto been paid 
to them. 

No. XXVII. 

JBelvidere^ on the Estate of Balgonie^ Haddington- 
shire^ September 1827. 

The trees on the top of the rocks at the west end 
of this beautiful lawn are falling fast into decay ; this 
may be accounted for, first, from the dryness and 
shallowness of the soil ; second, from their exposure \ 
and, third, from their being allowed to remain too 
thick for too long a time, and thus in want of nourish- 
ment. 

1st, A dry shallow soil is most unfavourable to the 
rearing of trees to a great age and size. We find 
that trees will grow on very bare rocky soils, pro- 
vided the climate is wet and moist, such as the west 
of Scotland, &c. ; but here the reverse is the case, 
as the climate is very dry, and the ground we are 
now treading on is very thin and near the hard whin 
rock, so that the roots have not depth of earth to 
keep for them a sufficient supply of moisture, parti- 
cularly so as the trees increase in size, and they 
always require an additional supply j that being de- 



105 



nied them to sufficient extent, as they increase in 
size they require more, they grow slow, become lan-^ 
guid, stinted in their growth, at last die. 2d, Their 
being on an elevated situation, and exposed to every 
storm that blows, is also much against their growth ; 
had they been in a less exposed situation, although 
on the same soil, there would have been less danger 
of their decay. 3d, It is plain, and must be allowed 
on all hands, that the more trees increase in size, the 
more room theyrequire, both above and below ground; 
but many of these trees having for so long a time been 
allowed to grow so close together, the storm has 
lashed them against each other in the tops, and de- 
stroyed their figure as trees ; and as the roots must 
make new wood annually below ground as well as 
above ground, the thinness of the soil and the 
great number of roots or trees always requiring more 
room and nourishment as they increased in size, 
and not receiving either in sufficient quantity, they 
behoved not only to become, year after year, more 
languid in their growth, but in the end they die. It 
is a well authenticated fact, that trees grow faster 
from the age of twenty years till they be eighty years 
old, than they do afterwards ; that is to say, they 
make more timber in every one year, betwixt these 
ages than they do in every four years after ; this is 
easily accounted for, as during this age, supposing 
the soil to be good and not overburdened, and they 
receive all the nourishment, &c. that they require, 
the larger they grow they require the more nourish- 
ment, and not receiving the increasing supplies they 
require, they must grow slower ; therefore, I say, 
that notwithstanding the soil and situation, had these 
trees been thinned properly out in time, they would 



106 



have been much larger, more healthy trees, and 
lived longer. In all places of this kind, early thin- 
ning, and attention to the rearing should be parti- 
cularly attended to. As this is a very conspicuous si- 
tuation, and adds great beauty to the place, to have 
a cluster of planting, of any kind, all the trees that 
will live should be kept on it, and only cut out such 
as die. A number of them may also be tried as 
pollards, as has been pointed out. 

But to cure all these maladies, and to obtain secu- 
rity for the future, this most desirable of all objects, 
a proper cluster of ornamental, as also trees of all 
descriptions, on this spot, attend to the following 
method. Inclose a given space — I should suppose 
it may be carried west to the top of the rocks, 
which will save some expense in enclosing, and a lit- 
tle more ground both on the south and north of the 
old trees may be added ; still should this addition in 
the least intercept the view from Balgone House, 
the cluster of old trees may even be divided, and an 
avenue opened through them for a view ; or if the 
proprietor should think it more advisable to keep by 
the old boundary, it will do the same as adding to 
its size ; but I should think to divide it into two se- 
parate oval or round clusters, the most interesting 
and picturesque. Whichever is fixed on, let it be 
properly enclosed, and then plant up with larch firs 
at four feet, plant from plant, with a spruce, silver, 
and Scotch fir alternately at every sixteen feet from 
each other, on the new ground, and plant wholly 
larch trees amongst the old trees, at three feet dis- 
tant, wherever they can be got put in. When the 
larch is four feet high on the new ground, cut out 
the one half and put in oak, Spanish chesnut, plane, 



107 



elm, and beech alternately, and cut them over, 
planting at west approach ; and rear these kinds 
up as standards, at proper distances, leaving a part 
of the evergreens also to rear up. When the 
larch firs, amongst the old trees, are three feet high, 
cut out every other tree, say every second tree, and 
put in chiefly spruce firs to be toped down for 
underwood, taking care to keep the whole ground 
always full of underwood. When any of the old 
hard wood trees dies out, be sure to rear up a tree 
from the underwood to supply its place. When the 
larch firs are to be taken out, in order to the plant- 
ing in the other trees, be sure to cut them over, and 
not dig out by the roots ; and when cut over, prune 
the trees cut, and leave all the twigs, say branches, 
to consume on the ground. This method, together 
with keeping the ground completely full of under- 
wood, will at once cure, in a most satisfactory man- 
ner, the dryness and thinness of the soil, as it will 
keep the roots always damp and moist ; so that 
at all times, and to all ages, the trees will have 
a sufficient supply of nourishment, and the larch 
firs, although never intended, nor will they ever 
come to be timber trees here, yet by allowing 
them to stand for so long a time, they will enrich 
the soil and make it fit to carry trees of every de- 
scription to maturity. Again, when the tops of the 
underwood comes half way up the naked stems of 
the old trees, or up to the lowmost branches, this will 
completely shelter them, and cure the storminess 
of the exposure ; and by attending to the thinning 
and selecting out the standril trees in time, before 
arriving at too great a height, the three evils which 
have been the ruin of this once beautiful plantation 



IDS 



will be completely cured. The line beech in the 
avenue, that is diseased with the canker, will have, I 
am aware, before this time, been attended to, as to its 
means of cure, if so be it will cure, according to the 
directions and instructions given the forester on the 
spot ; and should it succeed, if any other tree is 
seized in like manner, he has the receipt for the 
balsam, and can apply it. A little of the hard sward 
amongst the roots should be mellowed up and mixed 
with the fresh earth to be laid on. The same me- 
thod as described in this plantation should be attend- 
ed to in all similar cases and situations, whether as 
to a whole planting or as to single trees, &c. The 
enclosing and planting should be done immediately, 
and if so, it will save the life and revive in health 
of many of the trees already on the ground ; and if 
not attended to, the place will soon be without a 
living tree. I predict this from real experience in 
many similar cases, and have often proved the utility 
of the cure prescribed to a demonstration. 



Craig 3Iuw Young Planting, Balgone, HacU 
dingtonshire, September 1827. 

This is, from the great quantity of bare rock in 
it, a very difficult, or I may say, critical spot to 
plant ; and it is of very great importance to rear 
planting of any kind on it, and nothing will obtain a 
full crop but perseverance. I am of opinion it is of 
no use whatever to be at the expense of either 
plants, or planting on the very bare rocks ; that is 



109 



to say, where there is very little soil, as enough of 
this has been already done to convince of its impro- 
priety. The method to be followed up here, and in 
all similar places, is to put in oak acorns upon all 
the rocky places, where there is not above from one 
to eight inches of soil of any kind ; wherever there 
is from one inch of soil, up to eight inches, the whole 
should be planted with acorns, as a very few acorns 
will go over the whole ground ; the expense is tri- 
fling ; they may be put in at one foot or eighteen 
inches distant from each other ; so much for all the 
very bare thin places. There are a great many hol- 
low or furrow places, betwixt and amongst the rocks, 
where there are depth of soil ; and in many places 
of this kind, within the said boundary, the plants 
are thriving well. Now as it is all and every thing 
to get up a planting of any kind here as soon as pos- 
sible, plant all such places with larch firs first, and 
nothing else, at two feet distant, plant from plant, 
putting the larch firs up the face of the bare rocky 
places, wherever the soil is above eight inches deep ; 
where the acorns is to be planted, and persevere in 
keeping the ground full of larch firs, till they are 
from four to six feet high, when they will have kill- 
ed the heath or every pernicious weed, and made a 
fine soil ; then cut the larch firs out to four feet, 
plant or tree from tree, and plant in oak, Spanish 
chesnut, plane, beech, ash, elm, Scotch, and spruce 
firs. As the larch is by no means a tree that is to 
come to maturity, as large timber, or to be orna- 
mental here, they may be cut gradually out, and 
trees of any other, or at least of the above kinds, 
put in ; by this means the \\ hole ground will soon be 
covered with trees. Observe, as the tops of the 



no 



larch plants rises up to cover the rocks, or afford 
shelter, put in plants on the rocks alternately, above 
them ; observe also, that the plants already into the 
hollows that are in a thriving state, may be allowed 
to come on ; but by all means till up with larch firs 
amongst these also, as they will most effectually en- 
rich and make an excellent soil, and the expense of 
the larch plants is a mere trifle. After the larch 
firs have come up to cover all the bare rocks, &c. 
and the hard-wood plants put in for the first time, the 
second cutting of the larch firs out must not take 
place till the hard-wood trees have been once cut 
over, and the new growths coming up, as has before 
been observed ; this is both a sure, simple, and cheap, 
method of obtaining planting on such places. There 
is, however, another plan, equally sure and much more 
speedy, as it will give almost the immediate effect or 
show of a plantation, even on these bare rocks ; 
and is attended with no very considerable expense : 
that is, to remove from a new cut coppice, or under- 
wood, stools, or roots of oak, or any other tree that 
grows from cutting, when newly cut over, and pro- 
perly dressed up for the growth, and place these 
down upon the rocks, being careful in lifting them, 
with as much earth about the roots as possible ; and 
if there is the least crevice or chink in the rock 
where it is placed, the young fibres or roots find 
them out, and they never go back. I have seen 
growths, from stools removed, and placed on bare 
rocks of this kind, from eighteen inches to three feet 
long, in one season, and never went back. The 
stools or roots of trees of any size will do, provided 
they are healthy ; but the most portable and easily 

removed, are young trees from four to eight inches 

2 



Ill 



diameter, when cut over at the roots ; by this me- 
thod, the most bare, rocky, and exposed situations 
may at once be planted. Where there is depth of 
soil and shelter, the whole tree may be removed ; 
but this is plain to every one. In spring 1825, I 
covered upwards of a fourth of an Irish acre, of as 
bare rock as any here, with roots of oak, ash, Spanish 
chesnut, plane, elm, and some willows, and not one of 
them but grew, and from many of them are trees now 
ten feet high ; this w^as done to cover up the view of 
the bare rock from the mansion, and it served the 
purpose instantly and most effectually. There is no 
coppice cutting on the estate of Balgone, I believe ; 
but for the purpose of covering any particular spot, 
the oak, ash, or even other trees that are to be taken 
out of South Meadow, may be used so far as 
they will go, or from any other young plantation, 
when such can be taken out with plenty of earth, 
without injury to the rest of the trees. I have been 
the more particular with this plantation, as it will 
serve all others of a similar kind, and on any of the 
other estates or places. 



Plantation to he made in a Valley, Balgone, 

Nothing, in my opinion, would add more to the 
sublime grandeur of the already indescribable roman- 
tic scenery to be seen in this vale, (where the im- 
mensely high, wild, perpendicular rocks would al- 
most make a stranger believe he had been in a trance, 
at once carried from the fertile lands of Haddington 
to the wilds of Argyle or Tnverness-shire,) than 
planting the whole ridge of these rocks, and a pri- 



11^ 

vate walk made all along their basis from east to west 
the whole length of the valley ; which planting should 
be made a sufficient wideness out from the basis of 
the rocks, so as to form a serpentine walk curving 
out and in towards the rocks, the curves to be so 
sharp in some place turning in to the rocks so as 
to have a full view of the most rugged and wild parts 
of them, which I would term the wilderness walk* 
As this place, from its soil and situation, will carry 
every kind of tree up to maturity, the kinds to be 
particularly cultivated as the standing timber trees, 
are such as grow to the largest size, and live to the 
greatest age j for this purpose, the oak, Spanish ches- 
nut, beech, plane, silver, spruce, and pinaster firs, 
these kinds to be regularly thinned out, and trained 
up from the plant to stand at the distances, always 
keeping it full of ever-green wood in the same 
way, and on the same principle, and attending to 
the same system as laid down. It wdll not be im- 
proper in this well sheltered place, to plant even 
a few larch firs to be reared up as timber trees, as 
they will grow very fast here ; where the soil is very 
bare and shallow near the rocks, acorns may be put 
in. The proprietor will be pleased to observe, that 
in the method proposed, and to be followed up here, 
I am considering the whole of this valley, from the 
So whole west to and sweeping round the west end of 
the rocks, to have a made walk or ride from the 
mansion through the Belvidere lawn, to enter the wil- 
derness walk at the south-west end of the rocks, also 
the walk or drive through Balgone strip to join 
crossing the valley at the head or west end. The 
meadow either to be laid down in fine pasture, the 



113 



whole extent of it as a fine lawn of pleasure ground, 
with the circuitous offsets of planting almost meet- 
ing each side across the vale ; also a part or parts se- 
parate from each other may be laid down, say con- 
verted into flower gardens, turning the whole valley 
into pleasure grounds and planting. This would add 
an immense value to the estate of Balgone, and the 
whole plan can be executed at a very little expense, 
comparatively speaking, nature herself having with a 
masterly hand sketched out the enchanting and su- 
perbly grand, yet truly romantic scenery, which, 
when finished by art, as pleasure grounds and walks 
about this place, it will be surpassed by none, and 
equaUed by few in the country. 

No. XXVIIL 

Round Stable Padock, at Powerscourf. 

In this field there is a magnificent ash tree, which 
is not only well worthy the attention and care of the 
proprietor, but is also worthy the admiration of stran- 
gers visiting Powerscourt. I suppose it the largest 
tree of the kind in Ireland ; at all events it is the 
largest I have heard of, and it is the fourth largest 
tree of ash I have ever seen either in Scotland or 
England ; it is still healthy and growing, and I have 
no doubt but it may increase in size for a number of 
years. This grand natural production girths, at the 
smallest part of the bole, twenty-one feet, and 
a little higher and lower thirty feet ; though the 
the main trunk be but short, it sends up two magni- 
ficent and truly beautiful stems ; measured close to 
where they spring from the main trunk, each will 

i 



114 



girth within a trifle of the trunk at the smallest place, 
and then run up to an immense height — taking this 
wonderful tree in all, its solid contents is not less 
than from 600 to 700 cubic feet. By taking down 
a small part of an old wall, which I understand is now 
of no use as afence, andone or two trees, it would open 
a most beautiful view of it from the present approach 
to the mansion, from which approach I think a pri- 
vate foot-walk should be made to this sublime and 
grand tree. There are a few blemishes in it, which 
will hasten its decay ; these should be immediately 
dressed up and covered over ; supposing the timber 
of this tree to be all sound and wholesome, and cut 
down, at the present selling price of such timber, its 
value would be L.975 10s. Where is the proprietor 
that would not protect, to the very last stage of de- 
cay, such a treasure of value and of ornament, hand- 
ed down to him by his forefathers ? Surely nothing 
but dire necessity would induce him to do otherwise 
than to transmit it to his posterity. A little above 
this tree, in the same field, are tv/o very fine planes, 
at present (21st April) in full blossom ; these early 
announcers of the approach of reviving spring are 
well worthy of notice and attention. There are two 
large ash trees which stand right in face of these 
planes, one of them in particular is spoiling, and 
should be taken down, to give full scope and view 
from the approach road ; both of these ash trees may, 
without the least injury to the look of the place, and 
a great benefit to the two planes, be taken away ; if 
so, they should be taken out by the roots. There 
are a number more of fine old trees in this field, 
much in want of being properly pruned, and 
the blemishes dressed up. The clump of young 



115 



trees in this field should be thinned out immediately. 
From the length of the trees it must be done sparing- 
ly and gradually, taking particular care to leave 
always the longest lived, most healthy, and what is 
likely to be even the most ornamental trees, and rear 
them up to maturity ; save the spruce firs and take 
away the larch, where there is a choice, as the larch 
firs will not live to be large trees in this situation. 

No. XXIX. 

Racecourse Field, 

The whole of the detached old trees, with the strips 
round the outsides, should be carefully kept up as 
trees ; not one of them taken down as long as they will 
stand. There is also a round clump of old trees in 
this field which should be kept up ; from its exposed 
situation nothing should be cut out of it ; where blanks 
occur, fill them up as recommended in plantation No. 
XXIV. In this field is another young strip of plant- 
ing ; this on the south requires a little thinning, and if 
done judiciously, will be of great advantage to it; from 
its exposed situation this must be done gradually, till 
the trees stand at equal distances of about eighteen 
feet, tree from tree, at which, on the top of this bank 
and on all the exposed places, they may stand as a 
finished plantation ; where there is a choice, take 
away the larch fir, and spare any other tree in pre- 
ference. The trees in this field, called Daly's Wood, 
or Bottom of the Course, are for the greater part 
very thriving, and will grow till they become of very 
large size in such a situation. Here, with great pro- 



116 



priety and advantage, a few trees may be taken out, 
which should be done this spring, and the remaining 
trees dressed up. The particular trees that should 
be taken out here were pointed out as I went along, 
say about twenty in all ; so that they need no far- 
ther description. It is always to be understood it is 
only the dwarfish and unthrifty, and such as never 
will be proper trees, and are at present injuring their 
neighbouring trees, that are to be taken out. The 
strip along the dike side, on the public or common 
approach to the mansion, together with the row of 
trees outside, say on the south of said approach, forms 
a fine avenue, and screens the common from the pri- 
vate approach. I may here be permitted to observe, 
that I am an advocate for keeping up entire, all old 
avenues of large timber trees about a mansion or seat 
of a proprietor ; and I am of opinion, that nothing 
gives a place an air of antiquity more than they do, 
and should never be cut down but at the direction 
and desire of the proprietor. In this, however, I dif- 
fer from almost the whole of my profession of modern 
improvers, whose plans are to cut these up into de- 
tached groups. The present Earl of sent a pro- 
fessional gentleman from England to improve his 
woods, &c. on his estate in Scotland, and he cut all 
the fine old avenues of trees leading to the Palace of 

, into small irregular groups of about three and 

five trees, which, when the Earl came down and saw, 
he would have given, as he himself expressed it, the 
half of the whole property to have had these beauti- 
ful avenues of trees up again. I could give a great 
many more instances of this kind. No one that ever 
saw the indescribably beautiful avenues of lofty trees 
at and near the castle of Inverary, the seat of the 



117 



Duke of Argyle, would believe that any man in the 
possession of his rational senses would ever cut down 
such beautiful avenues. 

No. XXX. 

, JVest to the Mansion, 

In this clump there have been, although a consi- 
derable time ago, a great many trees cut out ; it 
must be evident to the most superficial observer that 
this is its misfortune, and will in the end prove its 
ruin. It has already been the means of many being 
brought down by storms, and which will bring down 
many more. There is at present one of the best of 
the beech trees blown over, and allowed to lie on its 
neighbouring tree, which is not only destroying it» 
but if allowed to lie much longer, when the tree gets 
into foliage and heavy in the top, the first gale of 
wind will take both trees down, and a great blank 
added to those already made. There is in the same 
place a large oak in the same state j both trees should 
be immediately taken away. Fill up the blanks here 
with oak, Spanish chesnut, spruce and silvers firs. 
When a tree is blown over on its neighbouring tree, 
not a moment should be lost in taking it down ; for 
if allowed to He, ten to one but it will bring down 
the tree it lies upon. 



No. XXXI. 

There is here some very fine trees ; two of the 



118 



elms very much destroyed by cutting off the branch- 
es j if this was necessary, as is said to be the case here, 
why not cut them close into the trunk of the tree, 
and dress and cover up the wound. Nothing can be 
more disgusting to the eye than to see trees mangled 
in this form, nor can any thing be more ruinous 
to the health of the tree. All such branches should 
be immediately cut close, and dressed up as recom- 
mended in plantation No. IV. 

No. XXXIL 

T'rees about the Garden. 

As these trees both afford excellent shelter to the 
garden and mansion, and are also very ornamental, 
the whole of them should be kept up as long as pos- 
sible with the greatest care, and those only taken 
out after they become perfectly dead before their 
timber grows useless, and other trees put in and rear- 
ed up in their places ; dress up their wounds as in 
No. IV. All trees for shelter should be kept closer 
on the ground than in a plantation, particularly about 
a garden. Supposing large trees to be singled out to 
54 feet, tree from tree, or at most 30 feet, they should 
always be thinned out so as another tree might stand 
in the gap betwixt each of them, and underwood 
should be reared betwixt them, covering the naked 
trunks of the large trees. 



119 



No. XXXIII. 

Hollow. 

Here are some very fine old English elms, almost 
the whole of which should be reared as long as time 
will allow them to stand. In one place where four 
trees stand in a group, two of the elms may be taken 
out, say the two worst of the trees, but nothing more. 
Here are some very fine healthy young Spanish ches- 
nuts, which should be reared up with great care. As 
these trees are excellent for ornament, live to a great 
age, and grow to a great size, as also very profitable 
to cut down as timber, in all places of the plantation 
where these are, they should be cultivated with great 
care. One beech tree will be found here, marked to 
be taken off one of the best of these chesnuts, which 
should be done immediately. There has been a fine 
healthy Spanish chesnut cut here, which is a great 
pity ; almost any tree should be cut to give scope to 
this ; but being in an open place I am thoroughly at 
a loss to discover the reason for taking it out. Some 
other large trees have been taken out here, for what 
purpose I cannot devise. There is a fine bank of 
wood here, down towards the river side, which wants a 
little thinning, and if done judiciously will much im- 
prove it. Take out all the bad ash, dress up the 
stools, and allow them to come up as underwood, 
which will be fine shelter for game, &c. 



1^ 

No. XXXIV. 
Bank, 

The clump on the north-east end of this bank is 
fast falling into decay ; this has been hastened by 
the careless manner in which it has been thinned. 
On an exposed bank of wood of this kind, nothing 
should be cut out of it after the trees arrive at the 
height of sixteen feet, when the thinning of all such 
should be finished. This bank will wholly extirpate 
itself if not soon filled up ; it should be immediately 
planted, say all the blanks with the oak, Spanish 
chesnut, Scotch and spruce firs. 

The strip along the foot of this bank wants a little 
thinning, and if done in a proper manner will much 
improve it. When there is a choice, take away the 
larch firs, as these will never be ornamental^, trees 
here. From the height of the trees, it must be thin- 
ned cautiously and gradually. The round clump 

joining the strip should be immediately 

filled up by planting in oak and Spanish chesnut. 
There is a beech tree, beside a Scotch fir, dead in the 
top, it should be cut over as a pollard, which will 
save the lives of both trees for many years. When 
the pollard is finely topped, take away the Scotch fir. 
As this is a very conspicuous knoll, the old trees 
should be all saved and nursed up with care and at- 
tention. 

No. XXXV. 
A Bank near the House of PowerscourL 
The old trees on this bank are a very great natural 



1£1 



curiosity ; there is to be seen many fine healthy 
and large trees, two beech and a Scotch fir, grow- 
ing out between each, and that to within a few 
inches of each other, and some of them averag- 
ing in girth upwards of seven feet. This, I con- 
fess, is wholly new to me. I have never, in all 
the course of my profession, met with any thing 
equal to it ; say different kinds of trees growing as it 
were from the same root, and that too in a straight 
row, to such a size and degree of perfection. These 
trees are well worthy the inspection of strangers. 
Observe, it is no rarity to see one of the same species 
grow from the same roots to the size, &c. ; but trees 
of different species, and so much so as beech and 
Scotch fir ; these trees are worthy the proprietor's 
attention, and should be kept up with care. Two of 
the beech trees here should be topped as a pollard 
about 17 or 18 feet up from the ground, allowing all 
the branches to remain under that height. This will 
give scope to all the three, &c. In the bank along 
the foot on the north side, are some fine Spanish 
chesnuts, which should be relieved to get scope to 
become ornamental trees. This bank being a con- 
tinuation of the last bank, wants all a little thinning. 
Strangers visiting the beautiful mansion of Powers- 
court should never leave the place without seeing 
these trees. 

No. XXXVI. 

^ Field. 

In this field are some very fine healthy old trees, 
and it would much improve the look of the place to 



1 



122 

turn it into a lawn of trees, which should be done by 
taking away some of the bad looking and worthless 
of the trees, and dressing up properly those that re- 
main. There appears to have been some very fine 
large old trees taken out here, from their stools, 
which have been left above the surface, uncommon- 
ly high ; these old roots should be grubbed out ; it 
would give more pasture and a much better look to 
such a field, nothing on the river side should be 
touched. The best and largest of the trees have 
been formerly cut here, but let it be understood what 
I mean should come out, is the very worst of the 
trees, leaving as many of the best trees as are neces- 
sary for the purpose of having a fine show of lawn 
timber trees. All trees in a lawn w^here the surface 
is even and always in pasture or pleasure grounds, 
should be singled out to about 40 feet, tree from tree, 
and that too as regular as possible. 

No. XXXVII. 

Meadow. 

On the south-west side of this bank are some very 
fine evergreen trees of Scotch and silver firs, which 
are great beauties so near the mansion i also some 
hardwood trees, all of which should stand as orna- 
mental trees. There is a bank of wood at the foot 
of the pond requiring a little thinning ; also some 
draining to obtain good trees, which is a great object 
so near the pleasure ground. One or two badly top- 
ped dying ash trees may be taken out, as has al- 
ready been noticed; nothing is more ornamental 



U3 



about a gentleman's seat than trees, and of various 
kinds. Evergreens should bear a predominant part, 
say Scotch, silver, and spruce firs, as these are always 
the same in winter as in summer. 

No. XXXVIIL 

's Sank. 

This bank is a very fine spot for wood, but there 
is not at present half a crop on the ground. Take 
away all the dwarfish and unthrifty trees, as also the 
most of the alders. Drain the wet places ; but where 
dry, and can be kept dry, plant with oak, Spanish 
chesnut, elm, and plane. In places where it will be 
always damp, plant tree saugh and poplar. In this 
bank by the river is a particularly fine old oak ; on 
the top, a fine silver fir, which are specimens of what 
perfection trees can be brought to. In all planta- 
tions where the trees are unshapely, and not healthy, 
it is much better to cut them down, and rear up 
trees, either more profitable or more ornamental; 
nothing betokens a place going into decay or ne- 
glect, more than to see trees of this description re- 
maining, when by a little attention the ground could 
be covered with fine healthy thriving trees, where 
the soil and situation are favourable for them. 

No. XXXIX. 

Bcmk Young Plantation, 

This Bank is of excellent soil for rearing trees of 



124 



almost every description ; and as may be seen from 
the trees on it, will rear them very rapidly, although 
the larch firs, where they have stood good, have got 
the ascendancy of the others, still from the exposed 
situation of this bank, the larch will never come to 
be a profitable, ornamental, or long lived tree here. 
The top of this bank, in particular, commands a most 
extensive view of the adjoining country. 

I am of opinion that a triangular row of spruce 
and silver firs along the top of the bank, should be 
planted and reared up to maturity, as standing tim- 
ber trees ; for this purpose, plants of this kind should 
be carefully put in, and reared up at fifteen feet, tree 
from tree, which when up, will cover the look of the 
place as if it were a forest ; wherever it is necessary 
to fill up blanks, that should be done with spruce and 
silver firs ; rear and thin, and cut the other trees as 
they come up, gradually and to regular distance, as 

recommended in No. XXII. say 's Glen, the 

voung part of it, leaving a variety of the kinds al- 
ready planted, only where there is a choice, take 
away the larch firs. The belt of old trees on the top 
of this bank, is both sheltering and very ornamental. 
There has been a very considerable number of these 
trees cut lately, which from their stocks, appear to 
have been very healthy ; had there been some, and 
that but a very few, taken from the back part of this 
belt, it would not have been so bad, but the trees 
taken are from the front of the bank, and the very 
worst place they could possibly have been cut out of. 
I would not have thought there could have been a 
man found in the three kingdoms, in possession of 
his right mind and his eyes open, that would have 
done such a thing ; any person wishing to see the 



125 



absurdity of such work, need only look at the roots 
of the trees cut, and see where they are cut from, 
the roots of which are covered over with turf, w^hich 
shows plainly the thing was no sooner done than re- 
pented of, and the error discovered when too late. 
Large old trees should never be cut down in any 
conspicuous situation without due deliberation. 

No. XL. 

Young Plantation. 

This plantation, particularly the old part of it, 
wherever there are blanks, should be filled up with 
oak and spruce firs chiefly ; larch fir is not at all a 
tree suited to this place, as they will not live long, 
nor come to maturity on this soil and situation. As 
this plantation should be reared to timber trees, to 
stand as a w^ood or forest of trees always full and co- 
vered with underwood in the young part of it, there 
is by far too many Scotch firs, and in some places 
there is nothing else j where this is the case a part 
should be taken out, and hardwood trees put in 
their place. Put in the hardwoods, say oak, ash, 
elm, and plane alternately at twenty-eight feet dis- 
tance, tree from tree, keeping a Scots or spruce fir 
between each. As a wood or forest, at this distance, 
they may stand to be reared up to maturity, keeping 
the ground always full with underwood. Where the 
firs are already begun to kill the hardwood, they 
should be taken out, and this gradually, as advised 

in 's Glen, Young Bank, No. XXII. — There are 

a number of the hardwood plants, say beech particu- 
larly, in the oldest part of it, that require pruning 



Its 

very much ; trees at the height they have arrived at, 
may with safety, and should be pruned too, for their 
future shape as a tree, but when they get older the 
pruning knife should never be applied, except in 
cases of necessity. By a judicious pruning of trees, 
or more properly may be called plants, at this height, 
say from two to four feet high, the future shape and 
health of the tree may be in a great measure deter- 
mined. To keep underwood in plantations of this 
kind, is very useful for the health and growth of the 
old trees to be reared to maturity, and by having the 
underwood of oak, it may be turned to excellent ac- 
count by cutting it over every twenty years or so, as 
an oak coppice, &c. at same time affording excellent 
shelter for all kinds of game. 

No. XLI. 

Young Plantation, 

This is a most excellent soil for rearing trees of 
every description, although very poor and inclining 
to moss, and the situation high and bare for miles 
round it ; for although the situation is bleak and ex- 
posed, yet in planting a large field of it together, it 
may be made a fine plantation, and will be of the 
greatest use here in covering the cold, bleak looking, 
naked moor, and will not only warm, shelter, and 
cover the bare appearance of the place itself, but will 
ornament and beautify the whole of this bare looking 
country for many miles distant. For which import- 
ant purpose, not only what is already planted, but a 
great deal more should, and could, with great pro- 



127 



priety and advantage be added to it, as the land for 
the most part is adapted for no other purpose, and 
never can be brought to pay one shiUing, for twenty 
that it will do in planting. Let us consider a planta- 
tion to be made and reared here solely for profit, and 
to insure a regular annual return of profit ; it would 
be to plant the whole, or part of it on a proper prin- 
ciple for a natural oak coppice (and I may observe, 
by the way, that the coldest and most barren places 
of these mountains, will carry oak coppice) and cut 
over (after being brought to a proper system) every 
twenty-four years ; dividing it into twenty-four re- 
gular yearly cuttings, it will produce at the rate of 
seven pounds sterling per acre of annual rent ; and 
that too, for any length of time without expense of 
keeping ; but to keep the fences good, which can be 
very easily done in this place, where the stones are 
got for the lifting up ; were this plan to be adopted, 
the method for planting and converting it into a na- 
tural oak coppice, is to plant the whole after being 
enclosed with oaks at eight feet distant, plant from 
plant, with a nurse tree of larch or spruce fir between 
each, which should be cut away when the oaks get 
the height of four feet, and at the age of fifteen years, 
or thereabouts, the whole of the oaks should be cut ; 
however it may be proper to observe, that the oak 
and bark will not pay so much the first cutting, as 
there is but one stem from the plant in place of three 
or four, that can be reared from the stocks in after 
cuttings. (See this fully explained in my Forester's 
Guide.) After the first cutting at fifteen years, they 
should be cut every twenty-four years thereafter. 
Observe, that an oak natural coppice requires no 
shelter after the first cutting, however exposed the 



US 

situation may be ; but to ornament it as a plantation 
in this place, all along the top, sides, and foot of the 
hill, should be skirted with standing trees of spruce, 
Scotch, and silver firs ; say a double row planted and 
reared up in a triangular form, which would always 
keep up the view or look of it as a standing planta- 
tion, and the interior to be cut even, as aforesaid, as 
coppice, and maiden trees left every cutting amongst 
the coppice, which will always give the whole the 
look of a plantation. But to have this always as a 
wood or forest, it would be w^ell to rear trees of every 
description on it, and then I would recommend to 
plant oak, Spanish chesnut, Scotch elm, ash, plane, 
Scotch, spruce, silver and larch firs alternately. To 
give variety to its look at a distance, these should be 

planted, thinned, and reared up as described in ^'s 

Glen, No. XXII. keeping always the ground full of 
underwood. Should the proprietor prefer this last 
plan, I would advise that the triangular trees of ever- 
greens, as formerly recommended, be planted round 
out sides. I would give a preference to the first 
plan, as it may be made to answer both the purpose 
of ornament and profit. 

The present enclosure, already made here, requires 
planting up, which should be immediately attended 
to in one or other of the proposed plans ; it is well 
enclosed, and only needs to be kept full of plants to 
make it a plantation ; where the heath is very strong, 
it should be cut down before planting, and where the 
soil is very bare, plant larch firs, in order to make a 
soil. See my Forester's Guide on planting waste 
lands. As I said before, a great deal more land 
should be planted here, particularly the field imme- 
diately before this enclosed plantation — it is really 

1 



129 



worth being looked into and planted, as very great 
advantages in many respects would be gained to the 
property by it ; but this does not come under my au- 
thorized survey at present. 

This is an exceeding high exposed situation, yet 
the plants in the small clump of planting made on it 
was doing extremely well on some places, although 
very little attention seemed to be paid to it. 

No. XLII. 

Powerscourt Wood Parle, South Side. 

Here again I am under the disagreeable necessity 
of lifting up my standard against a system of plant- 
ing ; and I have not the slightest doubt of ha- 
zarding the remark, that every professional man 
the least skilled in planting would do the same, al- 
though the task is exceedingly painful and irksome ; 
yet I am totally at a loss to know how I am to 
get at the kernel without first breaking the shell ; 
this shall for the present be passed over, as much 
as possible ; nor will I take any notice of the waste 
of plants and expense of planting ; in the finest 
of soils, most sheltered situation, at eighteen inches, 
and two feet plant from plant, planting into a bog 
in the very midst of a running stream of water, 
planting on the hill where it is exposed, at three and 
four feet distance, with large plants of Scotch fir, &c. 
The roads formed through this side of the park are a 
great improvement, being most tastefully and admir- 
ably laid off, which serves to improve, facilitate, and 
dignify the whole place. It must be plain to a de- 

K 



130 



monstration, and agreed at all hands, that to hav^ 
standing ornamental timber trees here, is everything 
that is required, and to obtain which is the great 
and leading object to be kept in view ; for this pur- 
pose, a selection of the longest-lived and most orna- 
mental trees, at proper distances, should have been, 
and should yet be planted. This desirable object 
may easily be obtained at a trifling expense, safely, 
permanently, speedily, and beautifully by the follow- 
ing method : Plant the oak, Spanish chesnut, Scotch 
elm, English elm, ash, plane, beech, spruce and sil- 
ver firs alternately, at from thirty-two to thirty-six 
feet distant, plant from plant, in all the blanks be- 
twixt the brow of the hill, say, as far up as the high- 
est of the old trees, and down to the river ; enclose 
them singly with small stakes, warp these for two feet 
up with the small branches of larch fir, which will 
last for ten years,* and most effectually protect them 
from deer, hares, rabbits, (although these were as 
thick as the ground would support them,) and also 
from the storm, blow as it will, till they were trees of 
such a size as to be completely out of danger. Be- 
ing thus securely sheltered and protected, they will 
grow as much in one year, and that too without the 
risk of misgiving, as they otherwise would, in 
three years, the soil being excellent, not to men- 
tion the present planting, which, to say the least of 
it, is no planting. But to the expense, — ^50 trees 
will be sufficient for each acre, as a lawn of orna- 
mental timber trees, particularly here, these 100 acres 
will take 5000 plants, at ^5s. per thousand, is L.6, 

* I have known the warping of paling by branches of lareli fir, keep 
out hares, rabbits, &c. for twenty years from a nursery with very httk 
help. 



mi 

5s. the expense of planting and enclosing singly, for 
workmanship alone, supposing the wood for the stobs 
to come from the estate, as the present railing, in- 
cluding nails and workmanship to the full, L.66, 5s. 
add plants, L.6, 5s. is in all 10s. I am not 

aware if there will be 100 acres of the bank referred 
to, after deducting the ground already occupied by 
trees, to plant, but suppose less or more, if so, the 
whole will be planted and protected effectually with- 
out risk or farther trouble, for 10s. I am 
doubtful if the present system has not cost four times 
that sum. If large clumps or clusters of planting is 
to be made on the top of the hill, enclose these clus- 
ters singly with stone or paling, &c. If with a 
wooden paling, I would recommend the small stob- 
paling as by far the cheapest, say four stobs to a 
yard, as it only uses such thinnings or crops as can- 
not be sold, whereas the sawing strong rail-paling* 
takes wood that can be sold readily for a high price, 
besides the expense of sawing, which is very high. 
When the whole is planted, which may be easily 
done in one season ; turn the deer in, or indeed they 
should never have been out of this side, as will be 
afterwards shown, nor will it in its present stat^ be a 
very easy matter to keep deer out. Plant the cluster 
on the top in the exposed situations, with oaks chief- 
ly, at eight feet distance, and large old plants with 
good roots cut over before being put into the ground, 
then they will never shake with the wind, nor slacken 
them in the roots till they have gathered strength to 

* This is a species of paling with very strong stobs at 12 feet distant, 
and 2 rails of spars of sawing timber, 4 inches broad by 2 inches thick, 
which is very expensive, nor is it near so good a fence as the small pa- 
ling. 



132 



support the tops, nor will they ever reqmre replant- 
ing. Spanish chesnut, elm, ash, and plane will do 
equally well with the oak ; by this method, plant in 
larch and other fir seedUngs betwixt them, not older 
than two year seedlings. 

To prevent strangers from making the planting in 
the water and marshes proverbial, the plants should 
be instantly removed and the places drained; in 
any very conspicuous place, a pollard tree could 
be transplanted in. The few trees to be taken 
out from amongst the old ones, were almost to a 

tree, fixed on in pi'esence of Mr. , who I have 

reason to trust, will see to them ; they must of 
course be few and far between. Any tree, so 
far decayed, that the bark and timber will be 
worth nothing to sell or cut, it would be much bet- 
ter to cut as a pollard, (see No. IV.) as it may in 
that case become ornamental, while its intrinsic value 
is now almost nothing. As to making a plantation 

of timber-trees by pollards, &c., the present 

, Lanarkshire, built a new mansion in a field 

where there was not a tree ; he in two seasons trans- 
planted 500 trees, many with their tops whole, 50 
feet high, and not 20 of them misgiving, made a com- 
plete lawn of large timber- trees in two years ; many 
noblemen went to see, and were admirably delight- 
ed with the heaven-like grove, which was formerly 
barren waste land, — as inferior to that on which I am 
now treading, as sand is to fine flower. In Lord 
Morton's deer park 500 pollards have been put in 
within these five years, and not 50 out of the 500 
have misgiven, and only enclosed for a few years. 
Young healthy trees, from 10 to 29 feet of wood. 



133 



make excellent pollards to transplant, and are most 
beautiful trees in two or three years j many speci- 
mens of these are to be seen on this same property, 
which have also been pointed out as we went along. — 
See method of transplanting^ ^c. in my Forester's 
Guide. 



No. XLIIL 

Wood Park, North Side. 

The whole of the old trees, which are for the 
greater part oak, between the w^aterfall on the river 
going upwards, about the summer house, and between 

it and Mr. 's house, should all stand. To every 

lover of fine scenery and fine trees nothing on this 
earth could be more enchantingly delightful. A cer- 
tain author says, What would heaven be without 
trees ?" The bank of trees from the waterfall down 
towards the new Cottage, or March of Bahanna, with 
the exception of a very small portion of it near Ba- 
hanna, is growing on land totally unfit for any thing 
but growing trees ; indeed in the far greater part of 
it there is scarcely a particle of grass to be seen grow- 
ing. This bank of wood has been very injudiciously 
thinned by taking good healthy trees, and leaving 
the unthrifty, not to mention the shameful cutting 
by leaving the roots of many of them more than a 
foot above the ground, as well as many unaccount- 
able blanks and gaps. The greater part of this bank 
has been at one time cut over and reared up from 
natural ^shoots, particularly towards the top of tlie 



134 



bank, where almost to a tree they are growing from 
the old stool. This bank would admit of a partial 
thinning, but in its present state, while the deer are 
at large in it, it would be doing the greatest injustice 
to take a single tree from it, as, notwithstanding their 
stinted state, many of them if dressed up would grow 
from the old stools ; and here from the stony and 
rocky surface it would not be so easy to enclose and 
keep up a single enclosure round them as on the 
other side. As it is plain the deer have no meat on 
this bank, run a temporary paling or fence down from 
the dike above to the new dike at the back or north 
of Mr. — — 's house, nearly in a straight line to the 
upper corner of the dike ; also a temporary paling 
along the foot of the bank to the east, and cut over 
all the old natural stools of oak along the top, and for 
nearly half-way down the bank, leave all the fine old 
healthy trees along the foot ; as also all the healthy 
trees growing from the plant in the bank. Dress up 
for the growth the stools of all cut ; plant up the 
whole blank ground on the top of the bank up to 
the dike in the same manner as directed in the other 
side ; and in a very few years the whole of this bank, 
which is fit for nothing else, will be covered with 
fine timber trees, a number of which should be al- 
w^ays kept up for ornament, and the ground kept full 
of oak coppice, it not being fit for pasture, and cut 
out every twenty years such as is fit for barking ; the 
ground here being quite difierent from that on the 
other side. This should be attended to immediately, 
and in a few years, instead of old scraggy unthrifty 
trees, there will be fine healthy beautiful trees, which 
could be reared up for any purpose. As the deer 



135 



•will never have meat here, they should be imme- 
diately tm'ned over to the other side, and part of the 
expensive paling taken to enclose this bank in a tem- 
porary way, as described. Indeed it will be found a 
very difficult task to keep the deer out of the other 
side. If any planting was to be in the side above 
the waterfall, it should be enclosed singly as on the 
other side, so as the deer may have the whole range 
on both sides, except this bank, and this too, if at- 
tended to, after the first twelve years at longest. 
Keep all the alders on both sides of the river for or- 
nament as long as they will stand up. Observe, that 
in coppicing this side there must always be a number 
of standard trees kept in it, say at sixty feet, tree 
from tree ; this will always keep up its look as a plan- 
tation of ornamental trees, and the coppice or under- 
wood covering the rugged surface, which to cut every 
twenty years will also be very profitable. The truly 
bold and sublime prospect which this park, as it is 
called, presents to a stranger entering its gates, with 
the lofty grandeur of the fine trees mounting to the 
top of the hills on both sides, together with the wa- 
terfall, cannot fail to make the contemplative mind 
pause and admire. 



No. XLIV. 

IPowersccmrt Glen Wood, 

Here is an exceeding fine, although small spot of 
natural coppice wood, unfortunately chiefly birch j 
but where there are oak growths, although they have 



136 



never been either dressed up for the growth, or cared 
for, yet they are fine. The whole of this little en- 
closure should be cut over this season, and the stools 
of oak carefully dressed up for growth. The whole 
of the birch should also be cut over, barked, and the 
timber cut into barrel-staves, and the birch growths 
extirpated, and the whole ground filled up with oak, 
converting it into oak coppice, for which both the 
soil and situation is admirably adapted. The oak 
barking should be commenced immediately, and fi- 
nished before the birch, as it will do to bark, so late 
as the month of August. The timber of the oak is 
remarkably suitable lor making into cart and chaise 
wheel spokes. For the method of barking the oak, 
birch, and making the timber into spokes and staves, 
see it briefly described in my Forester's Guide. As 
this wood is of full age for cutting, it should be at- 
tended to without delay. The profit to be derived 
from natural oak coppice cut every twenty-four 
years, may be beautifully illustrated by this wood, 
I suppose it to be thirty years, or not exceeding that 
age ; and there are many stools in it worth 15s. wood 
and bark, which the same ground could have reared 
up to the same age, say at eight feet, tree from tree, 
or stool from stool, which are 800 odds on each acre, 
supposing the ground to be covered with oak alone, 
at 15s. each stool, is L.600 for the crop of thirty 
years growth, which is L.20 of annual rent for every 
acre, as the refuse of the wood and additional stools 
will be sufficient to pay the expense of manufactur- 
ing ; but to bring it down to cuttings at twenty-four 
years, and suppose only the one half, allowing all the 
rest to go for the interest and the annual rental, &c.. 



137 



here is L.IO of yearly rent per acre for land, I sup- 
pose, not paying the proprietor lOd. ; where will 
the very best land pay like, or nearly like this ; when 
reserve trees are kept, and these healthy and strong 
for two or three cuttings, and sold with the coppice, 
it generally pays more. A skilful person should go 
through before beginning to cut, and mark with 
paint, or number with a wood-iron a few of the best 
and healthiest of the oaks as standard trees ; these 
should be selected, chiefly from the plant or seedling 
and not from a stool, at as equal a distance as pos- 
sible ; when cut over, the fences should all be made 
good, and the whole blanks filled up, and the birch 
planted up with oak, a great part of which may be 
done by layering from the growths of the stools ; for 
which consult my Forester's Guide on planting. This 
is worthy of notice and immediate attention. The 
cutting and barking should be begun immediately. 



No. XLV. 

Coppice, 

The coppice on the two farms is said to be only 
seventeen years old, and it is truly wonderful to see 
such fine growths of oaks as in many places here, at 
that age ; it neither having been dressed up properly 
when last cut for the growth, nor has it been pro- 
perly cared for, since it has been mostly pastured, so 
that a proper profitable crop of oak cannot now be 
reared on it for this cutting ; the whole should be 
cut over also this season, the birch extirpated, pro- 
perly enclosed, the blanks planted up, and afterwards 



138 



cared for and done with as recommended in the pre- 
ceding coppice of No. XLVI. A very fine choice 
of reserve trees can be obtained here, which should 
be carefully marked ; here is also a great deal of more 
fine land for oak. Natural coppice could and should 
be added to this. 



No. XLVI. 

Leciclmiderry Hilly on the Estate of Powerscourty 

Ireland. 

Having examined this hill, although a little out of 
my way, not being called on to report on land fit for 
planting, where there is no planting, but this part 
being so closely connected with Glencree, it was im- 
possible I could shut my eyes from taking a view of 
an object so interesting to the estate. There is no 
part of the country, however remote or distant, that 
a view of this hiil cannot be got from. It must be 
confessed it would be sublimely grand, to have it 
covered with wood, and not only considered as a 
great ornament to the estate to which it belongs, but 
to the whole surrounding country ; it would be also 
a great national beauty when viewed from the ocean. 
The most part of this hill will carry trees of any 
kind, but it should be planted on the top with ever- 
green firs, running the planting of these round the 
south and upper sides, connecting it with the banks 
of the river in the glen ; and here I should suppose 
on the hiil and in the glen on both sides, there 
would be upwards of 1200 acres of fine coppice land, 



139 



that could be planted, which from its locality to sea 
carriage and good roads, supposing oak bark to keep 
only its present low price, when properly converted 
into oak coppice and cut in yearly hags or cuttings, 
say about 50 acres yearly, would bring annually to 
the proprietor not less than from seven to eight thou- 
sand pounds sterling, and that for all time coming, 
without any expense but the first enclosing and plant- 
ing, which will be but a trifle. This is certainly well 
worth serious consideration, that by laying out a few 
hundred pounds of the rental for a very few years, 
say for eight or ten years only, on this and some 
other places, it would insure to the property from 
ten to fifteen thousand pounds of additional yearly 
income, from lands that are not bringing just now 
L.lOO of annual rental to the property. This is 
equally valuable, and indeed more so, than buying as 
much more land to the estate, as no purchase of land 
could ever insure a rental of L.IO per acre, besides 
beautifying the country as well as the estate, and 
giving bread and clothing to many a poor labourer 
and his family. 



No. XLVII. 

Dargle Glen, Powerscourt, Ireland, 

This being so conspicuous a place, and so much 
a place of resort, from the nobleman to the lowest 
mechanic, in the present state of the property, to cut 
and carve with it as a plantation of trees, would, 
I am much afraid, be treading too much upon 
sacred ground j one thing must be plain to every 



ORe, that had the present trees upon the ground 
been attended to in time, they would have been much 
more valuable, ornamental, and praiseworthy. The 
trees have been allowed to remain by far too long 
and too close, and have lashed each other so much 
that very few of them have good tops, the generality 
of them are more like poles than trees. 

To improve it as a wood, laying aside for a moment 
the idea of it as a place of public grandeur, admira- 
tion, and amusement, leaving always the trees on the 
sides of the walk untouched, select carefully the very 
best and most healthy of the trees, at or as near as 
can be thirty-six feet distant, tree from tree 5 mark 
all such as are to stand on the ground, dress them 
carefully in the roots for the growth, cut away the 
others, watch the young growths in every stage with 
the greatest attention, and rear up all the fine healthy 
shoots, thinning, pruning, and rearing them up early* 
to be a fine ornamental tree. In a very few years, 
many of the trees will be found dying, and gaps or 
blanks will be the consequence ; but to take it in 
time in this way, a very few years only, (as from its 
well sheltered situation, the natural shoots will make 
great progress) say not exceeding ten, beautiful, 
healthy, and ornamental trees would be covering 
up the ground with underwood, which in this place 
would keep its foliage all winter and be infinitely 
delightful. This is the only method to insure a 
lasting crop of fine trees in this place, and to hand 
them down to generations yet unborn ; or, secondly, 

* In rearing a young natural shoot of oak, ike. if taken in time, it can 
"be trained up to any shape, ike. See Forester's Guide. " Train up a 
child in the way he should, or is wanted to go, and when old he will not 
depart from it." This holds good in trees. 



suppose another case, which will always keep up the 
look of it as at present, or nearly so ; thin out to 
eighteen feet, tree from tree, taking care as aforesaid 
to select the worst of the trees, dressing up as afore- 
said the stools of those cut for the growth, and rear- 
ing up always the fine shoots for trees from the young 
growths j but observe in this way the standard tree&, 
being so close on the young shoots, they will neither 
grow so rapidly, nor be so healthy shoots. I for my 
part would prefer the first plan ; but, thirdly, cut 
over every third tree as a pollard, taking the best of 
the trees for that purpose, in two or three years 
when these have begun to form and make beauti- 
ful tops, to give them room take away the tree doing 
them most injury, and the next year or so take the 
tree on the other side, &c. always to give it room^ 
and it will no doubt soon form a most beautiful top, 
and become a most ornamental tree. This last is the 
plan to beautify the place in three, or not exceeding 
five years, when fine ornamental trees may be ob- 
tained, but at a sacrifice of some valuable timber* 
The first is the most proper plan, and will secure the 
most healthy and permanent crop of fine trees. The 
whole rests as a matter of opinion and choice with 
the proprietor. To allow it to go on in its present 
state much longer will be ultimately to extirpate it ; 
although many trees will come on, many more will 
die. I would give the preference to the first plan* 
"What is said here will be found illustrative as to trees 
in many glens in the three kingdoms, where they may 
have been neglected as to the means of recovery. 



142 



No. XLVIII. 

Nm^sery, 

Where there is so much to be done in the way of 
planting, it would be of the greatest imaginable uti- 
lity to establish on every estate a small nursery, not 
so much for rearing from the seed, as this is attend- 
ed with considerable expense, but to buy in seedHng 
plants from the seed bed, transplant them in it till 
they are ready to plant into the field or wood, where 
they can be kept short or long, to rear them to an- 
swer the purpose of every soil and situation where 
large or small plants may be required ; this will al- 
so prepare them for the situation, soil, and climate. 
Seedlings in ordinary years, unless there is an un- 
common scarcity, can be bought at from 2s. to 4s. 
per thousand, average prices of all kinds ; this will 
at least be a saving of 20s. on the thousand of plants, 
and the little ground they occupy for one, two, or 
three years is comparatively nothing ; I should sup- 
pose one-fourth of an acre sufficient in the mean- 
time, unless some extensive new plantations are to 
be made. From what I have already said as to the 
incalculable advantages to be derived from planting, 
it would be unnecessary to go much farther into the 
affair at present 5 I cannot help wondering that some 
society or joint-stock company does not embark in a 
system of planting waste lands, especially in this 
country, (Ireland,) where excellent land for rearing 
timber can be got for a mere trifle, and labour so very 
cheap, and every thousand pounds laid out, would 
bring a return in twenty years of more than L.7OOO. 



A company of this kind, termed, if you will, the 
Irish National Planting Company, would be worthy 
a British King to be at the head of it — of the 
Prince, the noblemen, the gentlemen, every lover 
of his country, and every lover of gain to be members 
thereof 

No. XLIX. 

Improving Pasture Lands, 

Another or second means of improving the waste 
lands, and bettering the condition of the poor in Ire- 
land, besides that by planting, together with a third 
means of reclaiming the bog and mosses, &c. shortly 
to be noticed, which put together, would not leave 
any of the waste lands of that country unproductive. 
It is a well-known fact, that among the many grie- 
vances complained of by the poor inhabitants of Ire- 
land at the present time, there is none more glaring 
than that of the want of clothing,* this is evident to 
the most superficial observer, on landing in that 
country, whether in the city, the village, or any part 
of the country. Nor is it in their body clothes only 
that the poor, or rather what may be termed gener- 
ally speaking the working class in that kingdom, seem 
so miserable, but also in their bed«clothes, and in 
their uncomfortable cottages 5 every person that has 
travelled in Ireland, and has taken particular notice 
of the state of the poor within, as well as without doors, 
will assert the fact, that the want of clothing is of it- 
self the cause of great distress among the lower or- 
ders of the people in that country. To remedy this 

• It is a well authenticated fact, that it is no uncommon thing to see a 
poor person in Ireland exchanging clothes with a field scare-crow, that is, 
a thing dressed up with old clothes in the fields, to fright the birds from 
the crop. 



144 



great evil, I beg leave to suggest what appears to 
me best calculated to effect so desirable an object^ 
and thereby to amehorate the distress of the suffer- 
ers. To all who have the means of knowing the real 
state of Ireland, they will most readily allow that 
the great cause of the want of clothes of every de- 
scription among the poor, is their inability to pur- 
chase either the cloth or the raw material ; the wool 
at present produced in Ireland being of a good qua- 
lity, and of course higher in price than what the poor 
people can afford to pay for, consequently they re- 
main in many cases the pictures of misery. Now, 
were the mountainous parts of Ireland farmed after 
the manner practised in the Highland districts of 
Scotland, the inhabitants of Ireland might be clothed 
fully as comfortably as the lower orders of people in 
Scotland generally are. It is a well-known truth, 
that the labouring classes of people throughout the 
whole of Scotland make a decent appearance in their 
wearing-apparel, and have in their cottages plenty of 
comfortable blankets for themselves and families. 
This is chiefly owing to the abundance of wool, which 
at all times is easily and cheaply procured in every 
part of the country, oftentimes as low as from ,5s. to 
6s. per stone of 24 lib. This arises from the moun- 
tainous, and most rugged parts of the kingdom being 
stocked with numerous flocks of what is called 
Scotch black-faced sheep, which produces abundance 
both of wool and mutton, thereby enriching the 
country with food and clothing. Every labouring 
family in these parts of the country buy a little wool 
from the sheep-farmer, which the wife and younger 
branches card and spin. They procure a little al- 
der, larch, rowantree, and other barks, with which 



145 



they dye it different colours, they send it to the 
weaver, and have excellent clothes of their own ma* 
niifacture, for all descriptions of apparel, and in 
which they appear at kirk and market equally well 
clothed, or at least equally well screened from the 
inclemency of the weather with their noble proprie- 
tor. I have myself wore cloth, and particularly 
stockings of this manufacture, that did not cost me 
one-fourth of the price, and far outstripped the wear 
of English cloth and stockings. The poor Irish la- 
bourer, and even many of the mechanics, go to market 
and buy second-handj or old clothes ; if they do not 
exactly fit, which is most likely, they go to pieces 
the first day's labour ; thus they are ever in want and 
ever in rags. Many thousands never had a shoe on 
their feet, nor a coat on their backs made to fit 
them ; only think of the poor pitiable figure they 
make dressed up in such rags, for so they may be 
called, before coming to such a market ; think not 
that I speak hyperbolical, or out of disrespect? No, 
far from it. From the hospitable way I was received in 
all parts of Ireland, I love the Irish and I love their 
country ; what I say is a notorious fact, and so much 
the more pity. Now what is the case in Scotland, 
might also be the case in Ireland, were the proprie- 
tors of mountainous lands in that country, to turn 
their attention to the stocking their hill-pasture with 
the very same kind of sheep that is now grazing 
upon all the mountains of Scotland ; I recommend 
the Scotch black-faced sheep, not with a view ta 
turn off any of the sheep the country is already pos- 
sessed of, but I recommend that kind of sheep, a& 
being the only domestic animal that will thrive well 
upon lofty mountains which are exposed to snow and 

L 



146 



the winter storm, as many of them have been known 
to He below the snow for eight or ten days and still 
survive and thrive afterwards. The most rugged 
mountains in Ireland, even those that are of little 
value to either proprietor or tenant at present, could, 
without much loss of time, be turned to advantage 
by pasturing with these kinds of sheep, and will be 
found the best means for clothing the poor of that 
country ^ nor is any extra labour requisite except 
herding, and one man with a sagacious dog, will be 
found capable of attending to a thousand of these 
sheep ; this is frequently the case in Scotland. 
Scotch ewe lambs of this kind could easily be ex- 
ported from Argyleshire, the distance between that 
part of Scotland and Ireland being so very trifling. 
The very remotest and poorest islands of Scot- 
land are now stocked with these profitable sheep, 
which greatly enrich the country, and have brought 
in a great extent of land which was formerly of little 
or no value, either to proprietor or tenant ; so much 
so, that before this, many proprietors did not well 
know the bounds of their own ground. The Irish 
mountains have advantage over the Scotch both as 
to climate and rich natural grass, which are far su- 
perior to the coarse grass and cold climate of Scot- 
land ; so that if any considerable number of lambs 
were imported into Ireland, they would in a few 
years multiply to that degree, that wool in that coun- 
try would soon be both as plenty and cheap as in 
Scotland. As one foot of pasture ground produces 
more natural grass than three in Scotland, so that 
the poor inhabitants of Ireland would soon be equal- 
ly well clothed with the Scotch people. I am well 
aware that in many parts of Ireland great numbers 



147 



of horned cattle are reared annually and sent across 
the Channel for the English markets ; but that does 
not in any way prove that more sheep cannot be 
reared throughout Ireland, without lessening the rear- 
ing of horned cattle ; the reverse will be found to be 
the case. I speak from personal knowledge, when I 
say the worst mountain in any part of Ireland upon 
which black cattle cannot feed, would be found suf- 
ficient pasturage for sheep Scotch bred, only let them 
be allowed in the winter season, when the snow falls 
very deep, to come down about the foot of the moun- 
tain, as is commonly done in Scotland during the 
storm. I am also aware that these sheep will find 
pasture and thrive among rocks and on parts of the 
mountains, when even the native Irish sheep will not. 
The Scotch black-faced sheep is well known to forage 
for their own support in all seasons of the year, with- 
out any other feeding than the very coarsest of grass, 
and heath produced on bare rocky mountains. If 
therefore such sheep were brought to the worst lands 
in any part of Ireland, they would be found most 
advantageous to the general interests of the country. 
No scheme can be devised to improve the moun- 
tainous parts of a country, and which requires so 
little capital, or even so little labour in the execution 
of the whole project, as that which I have proposed. 
In order to convince the proprietors of mountainous 
grounds in Ireland of the propriety of turning their 
attention to their own interests, and to the general 
good of the country, in stocking their mountains in 
the manner proposed, I beg to observe the rapid 
progress made in all the Highland counties in Scot- 
land since the middle of last century. At that time, 
and for many years afterwards, there was not a single 



MS 



black-faced sheep known in any of the counties north 
of the friths of Forth and Clyde. Some small white- 
faced sheep and goats> with some few horned cattle 
of an inferior size, and little horses, were all that the 
Highland counties produced in those times, and from 
such stock the rents could be but trifling. The first 
of these black-faced sheep were introduced into the 
counties of Dunbarton and Argyle, in the year 1757> 
by a shepherd from the south of Scotland, named 
Thomas Harkness, who came to, and settled in the 
district of Cowal, Argyleshire, who then only brought 
a small flock of this kind of sheep. This man proved 
careful and industrious, and was of course encourag- 
ed by the proprietors of land. He added to his 
flocks to that degree, that he was enabled to pur- 
chase free lands in that same division of Cowal, to 
the amount of L. 16,000; this is a very hilly and 
small part of the county of Argyle, and is much ex- 
posed to storms in winter, particularly snow ; since 
the above time, this district alone contains and grazes 
no fewer than 7^,000 of these sheep, a good proof 
that they have been found profitable. 

It will be seen by an article in a recent number of 
the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture of the Highland 
Society of Scotland, published by Mr. Blackwood, 
Edinburgh, that the improving the breed of sheep to 
produce finer wool has been attended with serious loss 
to the sheep farmer, as the sheep is rendered more 
tender in the constitution, and not near so hardy 
and healthy as the old breed. 



NEW, EASY, CHEAP, EFFECTUAL, 

AND 

PROFITABLE METHOD 

OF DRAINING AND IMPROVING, 
BY CROPPING, &c. 

THE BOGS, FENS, AND MARSHES, OF IRELAND. 



The draining of Bogs, &c. every where, but parti- 
cularly in Ireland, has occupied the pen and the judg- 
ment of almost all classes of society and rank in lifej 
for many years many volumes have been written on the 
subject, and plans proposed, but all of them have had in- 
surmountable barriers to encounter. To many of such 
bogs no free level can be got, without driving through 
hills and other proprietors' property, for miles, and such 
like difficulties, which would incur such an expense as 
is altogether a prohibition ; it is to obviate these in- 
surmountable difficulties that I now come forward, 
with this, my novel scheme, but, although novelty 
may be wrote on its forehead, yet it is both practical 
and practicable. To those who have read, or are the 
least acquainted with what I have already wrote, I 
beg to say this much for myself, that I never have 
yet brought forward to the public any new scheme, 
without first having so far put it into practice, as to 
put its utility beyond the power of fair contradiction. 
I most readily admit that I have tried many plans and 



150 



schemes that have failed, which perhaps made me 
go supperless to bed at times, when I might have 
been in opulence, but these plans and schemes never 
were intruded on the public until I could come boldly 
forward with a stubborn fact as a proof, and say, that 
such is an improvement that cannot be denied, the prac- 
ticability and utility of which I have fairly tried, and am 
ready to prove ; such is the case with my system and 
method of draining bogs and marshes. I have not 
brought it forward till I had proved it, and I trust, 
for their own benefit, the Lords of the soil will read 
it with unjaundiced eyes, and give it an impartial 
consideration ; it is so plain, simple, and easy to be 
understood, that he who runs may read, and scep- 
ticism put to the blush. I am well aware that any 
new scheme introduced to notice is too apt to be 
treated with neglect, or considered as visionary ; 
few read it, and still fewer will take the trouble 
of putting it to the test of experiment ; besides, 
books which contribute merely to amusement, and 
save the trouble of thought, is better fitted to the 
taste of the present age. But to return ; it is well 
known to all, that wherever there is a free level 
or descent there is no difficulty in draining, but it is 
also known, that in many cases, to obtain this level or 
descent, it would cost more than the purchase or 
value of the land, but wherever a descent or level can 
be obtained at no extraordinary expense, it is a per- 
manent and sure plan. It is also a well known fact, 
that where there is a gravelly and sandy bottom, .all 
such bogs, fens, marshes, or mosses can be drained, by 
boring or pitting ; in some cases two or three bores 
will be sufficient to drain an acre ; in other cases, 
where the ground is covered, or almost so, with sur- 



1^1 



face water, it will take two or three, and oftentimes 
four pits to drain each acre ; this, however, where it 
can be done, is also a sure and cheap plan. But it is 
where it is altogether impossible to get any of these 
plans put in execution that I propose to drain the 
bogs, at little expense, and in such a way and 
on such a plan as will bring an immediate return of 
outlay to the proprietors of such lands. To come 
then to the plan which I propose, viz., to drain 
boggy, fenny, and marshy lands, (within themselves) 
where it is impossible to drain either by descent, 
free, level, or pitting, without prohibitory expense. 
First, I propose to plant with larch firs, one-third 
part of all such lands, and to crop the other two-thirds. 
The larch firs are to serve three most important pur- 
poses, — first, to absorb by suction, and evaporate the 
water, — second, to provide manure for the corn lands 
— third, to shelter and warm the corn or cropping lands, 
and I may add a fourth purpose for profit. As I said at 
the outset, when I recommend and dictate, it is sole- 
ly from experience, but before entering on the me- 
thod and explanation, allow me to give a proof or two, 
the result of experience. I have known a piece 
of boggy land, tending to moss, containing upw^ards 
of 20 acres, whereon a bird could not find rest for 
the sole of its foot, most effectually drained by the 
proposed method in a very few" years, and in twen- 
ty years producing trees of larch and spruce firs, 
containing twenty solid feet of timber, nearly a ton 
of gross weight, and so completely drained, that a 
horse could go on the ground and drag off the tree 
when cut, and to this there was no outlet to the 
water. I might give numerous instances of this 
kind. I knew a marsh where willow^ and poplar 



152 

trees were planted twenty-two years ago, where, 
for want of open ditches at the sides of the 
fields, their roots were covered with standing water, 
for six months of the year for the first ten years 
after planting, but still these trees, as they in- 
creased in size, dried the ground for a number of 
yards round their roots, and some of the trees were 
sold last year at L.3, 13s. per tree. It is a known 
fact, that to put the roots of a willow, a poplar, 
a larch, a spruce, or Scotch fir tree, (say plant) 
into a bottle with pure water, with the top out, 
seahng up the mouth to keep out the air, that these 
and all other soft wood trees will grow and thrive till 
they absorb all the water. It has been proved and is 
proveable, that an acre of soft wood trees, larch, &c. 
planted at three feet, plant from plant, will absorb 
from eight to ten thousand gallons of water, if 
all healthy and thriving the second year, after be- 
ing planted, and an extra quantity always annually, 
as they increase in size, this supposing them kept near- 
ly dry on the surface, and yet these kinds of trees 
will grow and thrive where the tenth part of that 
moisture is not to be found, but in these cases, they 
inhale their moisture from the air, and it descends 
from the foliage by the bark to the roots. To return 
to the method of draining, let us suppose we are to 
drain 100 acres of bpg, taking a finite for an in- 
definite number ; the first thing to be found out is the 
Jevel of the surface, and to whichever end or part of 
the ground there is a descent, to this place the drains 
are to be made to lead the water ; and supposing the 
ground to be exceedingly wet, so as not to be drain- 
jable by planting alone, at the lowest decending spot, 
Iiet there be five acres for every hundred marked out? 



153 



dig out these five acres, to a deepness of four or five 
feet, as it may be supposed the quantity of water may 
require, what is thus taken out for the pond or sheet 
of water must be laid on the ridges to be con- 
verted and improved into corn land. The whole 
ground, say the 100 acres, more or less, must then 
be divided into equal proportions of sixty feet each, and 
betwixt each ridge thus divided, cast a ditch four 
feet wide at the top, one foot, 6 inches, at the bottom, 
and four feet deep ; all those leading into the five acre 
loch, plant up with larch firs, at three feet, plant from 
plant, every third ridge, and the other two ridges to 
be converted into corn land. For the first ten years, 
a number of spruce firs may be planted and reared 
amongst the larch, as they are excellent for draining. 
If the bog or marsh to be drained, is almost a stand- 
ing marsh of water, it may be necessary to have a 
ditch in the middle of the two corn ridges, but these 
may be of smaller dimensions than the main ones, 
and have cross-cut drains leading into the main ones. 
As the soil on such lands is generally good, the larch 
firs will take root the first year and continue growing, 
so that after the second year's growth, unless the 
ground has been wholly covered with water, they 
will have, with the help of the pond, so far drained 
the two parts of land for cropping, that they may 
now be sown with corn. Thus, it will be perceivable 
I have been taking a view of and draining the very 
worst description of these bogs and marshes, but in 
ten cases out of twelve, all such land can be drained 
by planting alone, that is to say, by ditching and 
planting, as aforesaid, every third ridge ; to be more 
plain, always planting one third, and cropping two- 
thirds of all such land, attending strictly to the me- 



15i 



thod prescribed. In a very great many portions of 
such lands much smaller ditches will be perfectly suf- 
ficient, but this any person the least acquainted with 
draining, when viewing the ground, will readily dis- 
cover. 

This brings us forward to consider the expense 
and method of cropping, manuring, rental, or income. 



Expeiise, MetJiod of Cropping, Manuring, Rental, 
or Income, 

It is impossible for any person to give a just or ac- 
curate amount of the expense, unless he was upon the 
ground, and describing each particular spot or field. 
Where it is necessary to have a pond to contain a 
quantity of water; — to convert five acres of every 
hundred into a pond, will cost about L.40. The ditch- 
ing as in the plan proposed, L.l, 15s. per acre, say 
for 100 acres, and the planting of 33 acres 

with larch firs, plants and all L.50 j — see the method 
of planting this kind of land afterwards explained in 
Danhail Moss ; — this is in all, but in Ireland 

it can be done for L.200 easily, for the which I will 
quickly provide a fund ; observe this is taking the very 
worst, most desperate, and most expensive case of boggy 
land into view, but in 10 cases out of 12 we may throw 
away the pond with its expense, of course the whole 
may be drained and planted, for about 
sterling, which is a dead sum on every 100 acres. 
In cropping the year after the draining and plant- 
ing has been finished, the whole corn land must be 
dug over by the spade, as it is not to be supposed that 
horses can go on it for some years, at soonest four 



155 



years, and if very wet, it may be six years. In digg- 
ing over the surface, the soil thrown out of the ditches 
must be mixed in with the surface soil turned over 
by the spade ; care at this time should be taken in 
digging and mixing up the soils, to keep the ridges 
highest in the middle, so as the wet may naturally 
seek to the drains. I have known two men dig 
over and prepare for the seed a Scotch acre and three 
roods in a week, which is nearly two imperial acres, 
but to cover the expense fully, I shall suppose two 
men digs over and prepares for the seed one acre in 
a week, and these men have 18s. per week, say 9s. 
each, Is. 6d. per day. In Ireland labourers work for 
little more than the half of that, but my maxim is, live 
and let live. The first year's digging or preparing 
for the seed, will cost a little more in breaking up 
the turfs, but I consider 18s. per acre sufficient on 
an average of years. Land of this kind we are now 
speaking of, in the greater part of these bogs is ex- 
cellent, and will carry any kind of crop. Now suppose 
for the first three years we take a crop first of wheat, 
second barley, and third oats, the average prices of 
these, suppose wheat 30s., barley 20s., and oats 15s. 
per boll, the average will be rather above, but let us 
keep it under and call it 20s. per boll, now I shall 
come so low as strike the average crop on each acre, 
at ten bolls for the first three years, here is no less 
than ten pounds produce from every acre, as the 
straw is generally allowed to pay the expense of cut- 
ting down, gathering in, and thrashing out. There is 
not the least doubt of this produce for the first three 
years. Here we have L. 1000 sterlingfor the yearly pro- 
duce of 100 acres, in all in three years L.8000, and we 
have an outlay for draining and planting, &c., taking 



156 



the very largest sum, and the most difficult to drain 
add one year's in terest at5 per cent, is L.278, 5s. ; 
now for labour we have 18s. per acre, which for 100 
acres for three years, taken yearly, is L.^70, add for seed 
according to the average of the grain already stated, 
L.l per acre, which is for three years, L.300 reckon- 
ed at one boll for each acre, which will be found 
quite sufficient ; this making in all, draining seed and 
labour for 100 acres for three years, the sum of L.848, 
5s. ; now we have the produce of 100 acres for three 
years L.3000, from which deduct L.818, 5s., and we 
have the sum of L.2151, 15s. ; but from this sum we 
must also deduct, taking always the most expensive 
outlay for draining, &c., for five acres of pond at 
L.IO per acre, L.150, and deduct for 33 acres of 
planting for three years at L.IO, is L,990, which to- 
gether is L.l 140, which deducted from L.f2151, 15s., 
leaves a balance of clear profit from the produce of 
100 acres in three years, of L.lOll, 15s. after drain- 
ing and improving, and paying seed and labour, and 
bringing into fine arable land 100 acres, for which 
almost nothing was got formerly ; here is no less than 
upwards of L.3 sterling per acre of annual rental, after 
all the expense of improving and outlay, &c., is paid 
the very first year. Where is the avaricious mind that 
would not be satisfied with such a profit as this ? 
The proprietor brings in his waste lands, bogs and 
marshes in three years, and saves to himself upwards 
of L.l 000 sterling on every hundred acres, which 
before was paying him nothing. And he has now 
brought it into good cropable land, and improved 
it so that he can now let it to a tenant at a yearly 
rental of L.4 per acre, and his tenants of every 100 
a^res enabled to, and pay regularly their rents, live 



1^7 



respectable and respected, educate their families 
and die wealthy ; but more of this anon. 



Manuring and Keeping in a Productive State 
such Lands, 

I must lay the foundation of manuring and keep- 
ing in a productive state such lands, by explaining 
my four propositions, as laid down in planting a third 
part of such lands with larch firs. The reader will 
recollect these were first to absorb by suction and eva- 
porate the moisture or water. It is a well known fact 
in forestry, or by those who are acquainted and ac- 
customed to the rearing of trees, that the more sap 
or moisture, soft wood trees have, if not flooded over 
with water, the faster they grow. It is also a well 
authenticated fact, that if the subsoil is good and the 
roots nearly dry, however wet below, the spruce, 
the silver, the Scotch and larch firs will grow, thrive, 
and come to maturity, and of the hardwood tribe, 
all kinds of willow, and poplar, and even the ash 
and oak in very moist and wet places will come 
to maturity. But I aver, without the least fear of 
contradiction, that an acre of larch or spruce firs 
planted at 3 feet plant from plant (or say they may 
be put in at 2 feet in extremely wet places,) will 
drain by absorbing the moisture, the very wetest land 
where the soil is good, where the surface can be 
dried according to our plan to plant them, and where 
there is no run of water from hill or high lands 
around altogether to inundate and cover the whole 
surface. The water will be gradually subsiding as 
the plantation of trees increase in size, and when the 



158 



trees arrives at a height of from twelve to sixteen feety 
it is most likely the planting will have drained the 
ditches dry or nearly so. When this is the case, the 
ditches may be covered over, which can be cheaply 
done by using the cuttings of small larch firs laid across 
the ditches about half way down, keeping them always 
open about two feet from the bottom, and covered all 
over on the surface when the whole can be ploughed 
over and cropped, the wood in the drains will last iOQ 
years, and there will be always plenty got from the 
thinning of the larch planting for this purpose. 

Second, The second purpose the larch fir planting 
is to serve is that of manure for the corn lands. 
It is a well authenticated fact, and known now to 
the most of agriculturists, that the foliage of the larch 
firs is excellent manure ; even the branches, if allowed 
to lie and rot on the ground, will enrich it and make 
it carry any kind of crop, after the land has beea 
so far drained that it can be laid in crop ; such 
land as is generally in the marshes, will carry three 
crops without any manure, and for the first years 
in many cases, four and five crops. What I would 
propose and 1 think the best method for keeping 
the ground always in good heart, is to take three 
crops, and allow it to rest every fourth year, and 
clear out the bottom of the ditches, and mix up 
with the larch foliage and lay it on the selion or 
ridges ; the last or third year's crop should be cut 
high, so as to leave a good long stubble, which will 
also assist greatly to manure the ground. After a 
very few years, the larch foliage will be found suf- 
ficient to make a compost for manuring the whole 
corn land. After the first ten or twelve years, the 
ground, unless in extremely wet cases, will be so 



159 



dried as to admit of horses on it, both to plough and 
dung it, when it may be done to pleasure. 

Third, To shelter and warm the cropping lands, 
it is well known to all, that wherever there are plan- 
tations of any kind, they wonderfully shelter and 
warm the fields, so much so, that when in pasture, 
the cattle thrives much better, the grass or pasture 
is more abundant and nourishing, and the crop more 
luxuriant. The beneficial effects of this will be most 
wonderfully and advantageously felt where the stripes 
of planting are so close to each other, as will be the 
case in the draining system, and where the ground 
is so cold by being wet in the bottom by the warm- 
ing influences of the planting. 

Fourth, For profit I might give hundreds of incon- 
trovertible proofs of this, many are given in this same 
work, but for a complete explanation of this, I need 
only refer my readers to the subsequent No. Danhail 
Moss, land much worse and more wet than thousands 
of acres we are now speaking of, and that I have seen 
in Ireland, and it will be seen there that at eight 
years old the plantation begins to pay and will for 
ever after pay an annual rent of at the very least 
L.7, 10s. per acre. See the profits of planting of all 
descriptions fully, practically and experimentally ex- 
plained and enlarged on in my Forester's Guide and 
Profitable Planter, as also in this volume. 

I have no doubt, after a fair trial, the possibility 
and utihty of this system of draining will be fully 
appreciated by the lords of the soil in Ireland and 
elsewhere ; and I would advise, that the proprietors 
themselves first set the example. They see plainly 
they will have not only all their outlay realized, but 
an immense profit in three years, after which they 



MO 

can farm it out^ I am well aware, from what I have 
myself seen in Ireland, that there are thousands of 
acres of excellent land, which can be at once easily 
drained and cultivated in this way, land equal in 
quality to much of our best carse land in Scotland, 
and will carry equal crops, which generally let at 
L.5 or L.6 per acre ; and the land I am now speak- 
ing of in Ireland is equally good, and can be laboured 
at much less expense. But I shall even condescend ta 
come so low, as live and let live is my maxim, as to 
say, after the proprietors have drained it, they let it at 
L.4 per acre, so as the tenants can pay their rent 
regularly, and live by it. Here the proprietor will 
have for 67 acres out of every 100, L.268 yearly 
rental, and after the first ten years, as much per 
acre and more for his planting, so that he will have 
a regular and secure income of LtAOO sterling for 
every 100 acres of land, not now paying him luAO 
annually. I am well aware, that a great many pro- 
prietors in Ireland have many hundreds of acres 
of this kind of land, and some have thousands, 
which land of itself would be a handsome for- 
tune. I hope they will take the hint and set about 
this improvement with spirit and life. If any of 
them doubt, try it on thirty acres first ; say ten 
acres of planting, and twenty of cropping, and if 
they give it fair play, I am bold to aver they will 
be at once satisfied with the plan. But, to do it 
justice, select a place where the planting will have no^ 
more water to absorb than what is within the bounds 
of the thirty acres j and if this is attended to I will 
insure them of success. 

I am well aware, and perfectly convinced, that if 
this plan of improving the waste lands of Irelandy 



161 



taken in connexion with my other plans of improve- 
ment on bare, rocky soils, &c. described in this work, 
see Leackenderry HilJ, No. XLVI., with many others, 
I say I am perfectly convinced, when these improve- 
ments are set on foot, Ireland will soon be the richest 
and most independent of the three British nations, 
and the noblemen, the gentlemen, and above all, the 
farmer and the labourer, will, in their own sphere, 
be equally benefited and enriched. 

Should the lords of the soil (as it must begin with 
them) turn a deaf ear to this improvement, I may 
say to them in the language of Holy Writ, what the 
great Jehovah said to Israel of old, Ireland is joined 
to idols and indolence, let her alone. The poor la- 
bourer of five feet stature will still starve for want of 
food, and wear the old casting clothes of the man of 
six feet. But I hope better things of the lords of the 
soil of Ireland. When once these improvements are 
set about with spirit and life, it will be the best 
emancipation, emigration, and corn bill, Ireland ever 
saw or heard of. 

To give one striking example amongst many, 
there is a farmer on an estate in Ayrshire, who 
has some small spots of boggy land on his farm, 
tending a good deal to moss, and I may observe 
by the way, that this land is as inferior to the 
most of the lands in Ireland, as cast iron is to gold ; 
there being no outlet or descent for the water, the 
farmer drained by deep ditches, and threw it up 
into what is commonly called layse beds, say ridges, 
about fifteen feet broad ; he trenched it over, and la- 
boured it by manual labourers, and he had fifteen 
bolls of wheat on an acre, and ten or eleven bolls 
of oats. He has had it in crop for many years, and 
still going on labouring and cropping in the same 

M 



162 



way. As the places are but small here, they will 
.not admit of planting. When he has to manure, it 
.has also to be carried to the field by men, still it pays 
him better than the best land on his farm ; indeed, 
there is no other that he has nearly the same pro- 
.duce from. There are hundreds of acres managed in 
this way throughout the Highlands of Scotland, and 
produce 80 bolls of potatoes in each acre, and the 
ditches always full of water. 

- The vast quantit)rof different kinds of waste and 
unproductive lands, as has already been shown in 
another part of this work, and the means of cheap- 
ly and profitably improving and reclaiming all 
such, by planting what cannot be pastured or crop- 
ped ; by pasturing what cannot be cropped ; and, 
by draining and cropping the bogs, &c. has been, 
I trust, clearly made out beyond the possibility 
of fair and impartial contradiction. That there 
are few, or I may almost say, no proprietor in 
Ireland of any extent, but who has less or more 
of some of these kinds of wastes to improve ; and 
were each of them, on their respective properties, to 
get about their improvement, this would be the best 
poor laws and emigration laws that could be intro- 
duced into Ireland, as it would at once give employ- 
ment to the labourers, and raise their wages to what 
would enable every labourer to feed and clothe 
his own family and poor friends, as no one would see 
their father or mother begging if they had the means 
of keeping them ; so that, if the labourers had work 
at a fair wage, there would be, comparatively speak- 
ing, but very few on charity. A man, with a wife 
and eight children, and only earning 8d. or 9d. 

a-day, (as is the case in Ireland) must be starved 

e 



165 



both for food and clothing, but give them Is. 4d. and 
Is. 6d. per day, as the work will afford it, and Ire- 
land is at once finally emancipated. The lords of 
the soil are enriched ; the labourer and his family are 
fed, and clothed with cloth from the merchant's 
shop, instead of old rags y the manufacturer and 
merchant has each in their turn more trade, and all 
will be contented and happy without poor laws, 
without emigration, and without starvation in soul 
and body. Government, or some joint-stock com- 
pany, should make the experiment on an extensive 
scale, and I am bold to aver, they will soon have 
profits to their satisfaction ; still, I cannot help say- 
ing, that, as has been shown, the thing is so easily 
done, and so soon brought to pay every outlay, that 
the proprietors of all such lands should tliemselves 
be roused from their lethargy and indolence, and 
set immediately about the grand work. It is well 
known, and will be argued, that plantations keep the 
ground wet and damp when they grow ; this must be 
the case, because the sun does not get in amongst the 
trees to dry the surface, and this is the very life of 
the plantation ; if this was not the case, the trees 
would die for want of moisture and nourishment. 
Give a plantation of soft wood trees a dry surface, and 
plenty of moisture and sap below or around them, 
and they will grow rapidly. I need hardly mention, 
that where it is necessary to have a pond, it must be 
at least one foot deeper than the ditch, and the ditch 
must be first made to contain the water till the pond 
is cast out, but this will be easily secured, as the cir^ 
cumstances of the case may require, by any one the 
least acquainted with such work. 



I6i 

No. L. 

PLANTING. 

The following refer to some Farms in a part of the 
country exceedingly hare for many miles, in Ber- 
wickshire* 

It will be at once seen from what I have already- 
said, that all the blank ground within the present 
boundaries as already described, should be planted 
up. The ground occupied by these clusters or lots 
of wood, and the line of roads by which the timber 
and bark has to be removed, cannot be planted up 
till spring 1828, after the wood and barks are all re- 
moved ; but the proposed enclosures should be im- 
mediately made, and the blanks betwixt these hags 
planted up, and all new ground, first spring ; as the 
natural growths from the cut stools will grow much 
faster than plants will do. I need hardly observe, 
that the whole of these blanks should be filled up 
with oaks ; and where the rocks are very near the 
surface, oak acorns may be put in ; converting the 
whole into a natural oak coppice wood j and if at- 
tended to after the first cutting, it will pay an annual 
rent of at least L.7 sterling per acre, and that with- 
out any expense for time to come, but keeping good 
the fences. I may here observe, although a little 
out of the way, that nothing would ever pay on this 
property better, nor could any thing be more advan- 
tageous to the farms, besides ornamenting the whole 
country, clothing the naked scenery, and affording ex- 
cellent shelter for the cattle and sheep,— to plant the 



165 

whole of the bank, from the ravhie down from the 
shepherd's house ah'eady noticed, to the stone dike 

running down to the Berwick road on farm, that 

is to say, carrying the fence from the upper corner 
of the new dike at the east end of the last lot, to the 

aforesaid dike on farm, running up from the 

public road ; this would only take in land not fit for 
carrying any other kind of crop, and the whole 
would carry excellent wood, either to rear up to 
maturity as standing timber trees, or to cut re- 
gularly as a coppice natural wood, besides beau- 
tifying the whole country. It would not only be 
profitable to the proprietor as a crop, but also add 
greatly to the value of the property; besides af- 
fording excellent shelter to cattle and sheep on 
these farms, which is so much wanted on these bare 
looking farms. Were this plan to be adopted, I 
would advise that all along the top of the bank, be- 
tween east and west, be planted a double triangular 
row of spruce and Scotch firs, which will always show 
as a plantation of timber trees, particularly in winter, 
and will warm and shelter the whole property ; as 
far as they go, the spruce and Scotch firs should be 
planted alternately at four feet distant, plant from 
plant, and regularly thinned out to stand, at not more 
than twelve feet when finished, and toped down when 
too tall. I may also add, that the ground proposed 
from the easter lot, sweeping north-east, facing the 
public road, should be planted and reared up as 
standing timber trees ; and here for this purpose, 
should be planted the oak, Spanish chesnut, Scotch 
elm, ash, plane, spruce, silver and Scotch firs alter- 
nately, to give variety to its look. Permit me here 
to observe by the way, that w^ere a few belts, stripes. 



166 



or clumps of planting properly laid out and reared 
on these farms, so far from taking off the yearly rental, 
that it would actually add to it by affording shelter for 
cattle, &c., and add fifty per cent, of intrinsic value 
to the property. I have marked off, at the same time 
valued, a few reserve trees, so that they may be either 
sold with the lots, or at any time after, as the proprie- 
tor then may think proper ; these are left more with 
St view to show what was on the ground at cutting 
time, than to add to the value of next cutting, as 
many of them will never be much better, and may be 
cut away after the other trees come up, to cover the 
bare face of the bank. From the manner that these 
trees are marked, along the top of the bank, it will 
show that it was more with a view to improve the 
place than to make money of it, that the present 
proprietor cut the woods. The value of each of 
these reserve trees are given, each by themselves, so 
that either the whole or any number may be taken 
out at any time, and their value known ; a list of those 
trees, with the value of each is given ; with this is 
also sent the articles of sale with regard to cutting, &c» 

No. LI. 

J OLD WOOD PARK, 

ESTATi: OF LIVINGSTON, LINLITHGOWSHIRE. 

Surveyed ^V^ 18^3, before the publication of the Se-- 
: cond Edition of the Forester^ s Guide, This is in 
a ve9^y cold bare country, 

: From the nature of the soil of this field, being a 
cold till bottom, I am of opinion that it will not rear 



167 



up trees to a great age, or full maturity; but I am 
of opinion, that it is well adapted, both as to soil and 
situation, for a natural oak coppice wood ; and as 
every foot of the ground in the field will carry oaks 
for that purpose, and from its locality to a bark mar- 
ket, if properly attended to, it will pay at the rate of 
L.5 sterling per acre of annual rent, allowing the 
oak bark to keep its present reduced price. The 
method I would advise for planting, &c. is, after hav- 
ing cut an open drain in the middle, from south- 
west to north-east, (say two feet six inches wide at 
the top, one foot at the bottom, and two feet deep,) 
then run a plough through every furrow, as it now 
stands in ridges, to the depth of seven inches at 
least, leaving them open ; plant the hollow shelter- 
ed places with oaks alone, at a distance of six feet, 
plant from plant, and on the level part of the field, 
oaks at eight feet, putting in a plant of larch fir betwixt 
each ; these larches to be allowed to remain only for 
six, or not exceeding seven years, in order, not so 
much to shelter the oaks, as to make and enrich the 
soil for them afterwards, and then the larches to be 
all cut out; the whole of the trees of every de- 
scription, on the west side, within the field, to be cut 
down, and the stools of the oak and ash properly- 
dressed up for the growth ; — the stools of the birch 
to be extirpated. The ash, although of bad quality 
just now, the natural shoots will then be quite a dif- 
ferent quality, and nearly equally profitable as oak 
in a natural coppice wood ; besides, the oak and 
ash on this part of the field will fill up a great 
part of the ground, without being at the expense 
of a single plant, by layering from the young shoots, 
a plan though new, (and opposed by the nur» 



168 



serymen,) 1 have practised with the greatest sue* 
cess, and to great advantage, for these some years 
back. The method is by layering down on all sides 
where there is blank ground, some of the young 
shoots from the old stools, and leading them out, 
year after year, till they fill up almost any quantity 
of blank ground, and every year the layer will make 
a push of two, three and sometimes four feet in one 
season ; being more than an oak will do from the 
plant in five years, and far less risk of their misgiv- 
ing than from the plant. The method of planting 
the level part of this, or of any other field, is by run- 
ning them in angular lines from the way the trees 
are most exposed to the weather, (such as from the 
S. W.) as for a standing plantation. When planted 
in this way, the trees can be thinned out to great ad- 
vantage, in a triangular form, so as never to lash each 
other with the wind, and at the same time where 
shelter is required for the adjoining fields, which is 
much wanted on this estate ; as in this way, by pay- 
ing proper attention to the thinning, there is no way 
of looking into the plantation, but trees strike the 
eye, without seeing through it ; nor are the trees, 
when thinned out, so apt to be blown down. This 
way of planting is also of equal advantage in a natural 
wood, as when the stools fail in this triangular form, 
it is much easier getting the stools to occupy new 
ground by layering, and also keeping a proper crop 
upon the ground for time coming. This method of 
triangular planting will be attended with still greater 
advantage in narrow stripes, and belts of planting 
where they are intended chiefly for ornament and 
shelter, as in this case the trees will stand the weather 
far better, and afford more shelter. 



169 



No. LII. 

Stripes and Belts in a very hleak bare part of the 

country. 

The stripes and belts of planting on this estate, are 
for the most part in a very rapid state of decay, and 
if not remedied soon, will be nearly extirpated, and 
others will show great gaps in them. One thing 
much against them is, many of them have been too 
narrow at first, and being totally neglected when 
young, and having been pruned in the place of being 
thinned, they have for the most part been reared up 
more like poles than trees, and great numbers of 
them never will be proper trees, either for shelter or 
ornament, the very thing they are altogether required 
for on the estate. Stripes or belts of planting for this 
purpose, particularly where the ground is cold and 
the country bare, and embellishment and shelter the 
only object to be kept in view, should never be plant- 
ed less than 120 feet broad, so as 4 or 5 trees may 
be reared in the breadth, to maturity, at proper dis- 
tances, and so as underwood may be reared up be- 
neath them when large trees, which will not only 
afford excellent shelter for game, but be very profit- 
able, as it can be regularly cut every twenty years ; 
besides underwood is particularly beneficial to the 
growth and health of trees ; in stripes and belts of 
this kind it keeps the soil moist and affords more 
shelter. Some of these stripes which consisted wholly 
of firs, and are rapidly decaying, it would be better 
to cut out altogether and plant them anew. Others 
of them, where mostly hardwood trees, and where 
some of them are hkely to live, and maintain the re- 



17 a 

spectability of the look of the stripe, for some years, 
such trees should be carefully selected and marked 
off to stand, and the whole of the polish and dwarf- 
ish trees to be cut and immediately disposed of, and 
the stools of all the oak, ash, elm, and plane trees 
properly dressed up for the growth, so as to rear up 
either for standing trees to supply the place of those 
taken out, or to convert into coppice for underwood. 
But where none of these kinds of trees are, it would 
be proper to put in oak and Spanish chesnut plants j 
but W'here these kinds are, although only one in num- 
ber, the whole breadth of the sb'ipe may be filled up 
by layering as aforesaid, without the expense of 
planting. By a careful attention to this, the stripes 
and belts may, in the course of a very few years, be 
brought into a proper state. Trees to stand in belts 
of this kind should never be pruned after they are 
above six feet high, and thinned out before they ex- 
ceed sixteen feet, to proper distances, in order to give 
them room to branch out. 

No. LIII. 

Same hind of Belts and Stripes on a different Estate 
in another part of the Country. 

At the time the belts of planting we are now among 
were laid off and planted, say upwards of sixty years 
ago, it was customary with professional men, with a 
view to the saving of land, to lay them off very nar- 
row in the belts and stripes, and equally circumscrib- 
ed in the size of the clumps, although their very de- 
sign was to give clothing, screen, shelter, and orn^ 
ment to a bare, bleak, and naked country ; and the 



171 



expense of enclosing narrow belts and stiipes the 
same as that of enclosing broad ones. Also, a very 
few years experience must have convinced them of 
the destructive impropriety of such conduct ; still it 
has been persisted in till within these few years, when 
in almost every quarter of the country the most mi- 
serable and melancholy picture of such plantations 
spoke more ^lan volumes the absurdity of such pro- 
cedure ; and I am sorry to say the present is also a 
stubborn proof. All stripes and belts of planting of 
this kind, to serve the purpose, should not be less 
than from 35 to 40 yards broad, and round or oval 
clumps at least 50 yards in diameter. Every thing 
possible should be done to recover and keep up the 
remaining trees in these belts, &c. To effect this, 
all the polish, dwarfish, overtopped, and unhealthy 
trees should be cut out, and their stools dressed up 
for rearing up other trees from, or as underwood ; 
all such trees should be very carefully selected and 
marked off. Wherever there are blanks, plants of 
Various kinds of trees should be put in to fill up ; the 
kinds to be put in should be chiefly oak, Spanish 
chesnut, Scotch elm, plane, ash, Scotch and spruce 
firs alternately ; a proper attention in cutting and 
filling up as above, would amazingly improve the 
value, the look, and keep up these belts, &c. which, 
I am sorry to say, in many places, are falling into de- 
cay ; where the fences are out of repair, and where 
the expense of enclosing the whole would cost too 
much to protect a few trees ; all such may be cheap- 
ly and permanently done, by using my portable 
paling (see Forester's G?iide,) in enclosing them 
singly till they are out of the reach of cattle. 

No one need be at any loss to discover the purpose 
which it was intended these stripes and belts were to 



17^ 



serve *, and although they abound chiefly in beech,- 
still beech is far from being an unornamental tree, 
and may be, with advantage, reared as such, although 
they are by far too numerous here. In many parts 
and sides of these stripes, there has at one time been 
a great many limes, which is a most particularly 
beautiful and suitable tree for this place as orna- 
ment ; the most of these limes has been unfortunate- 
ly cut down, but for what purpose I am altogether at 
a loss to discover ; the cutting of these Umes was a 
most untoward event for the look of these stripes, as 
these hmes, being mixed up with the beech, it made 
a most beautiful border. 

A great many of the roots of these limes, notwith- 
standing the haggled way in which they have been 
cut, are sending out fine new shoots, which may pro- 
fitably, and with great propriety, be reared up into 
trees, to fill once more the conspicuousness they once 
did, and always should occupy in these stripes. The 
whole of these stools, or young natural growths of 
lime, should be immediately, without one moment's 
loss of time, gone over, and thin away the rubbish, 
leaving two or three shoots on every stool where 
there is room to rear them up as trees ; and where- 
ever there is a beech (as there is by far too many of 
this kind), likely to overtop or injure the hmes, it 
should be cut down, giving always a preference where 
it can be had, to be reared up as a standel outside 
tree ; and on no pretence whatever should the hme 
trees again be cut down. Observe carefully to leave 
the healthy and promising shoots of the limes ; they 
are sending up most beautiful growths, so that if a 
skilful selection is made, many valuable and most 
:beautiful ornamental timber trees will be got reared 
up from them. For the proper method of can vert- 



ing natural shoots into standing timber trees, see 
Forester's Guide, second edition. 

The whole of these stripes should be immediately 
planted full of trees, but in a manner perfectly differ- 
ent from that which has been going on of late ; that 
is, by filling up the ground in these stripes promis- 
■cuously with all kinds of trees, without any re- 
gard to putting in a proper tree to fill up the 
blanks, w^here it is most necessary and requisite 
that a proper long lived ornamental tree, to be 
reared up to perpetuity, should stand to fill up the 
blank ; without a due regard to this, the stripes wdll 
be continually filling up and never full. It is a mat- 
ter of no importance whatever, how the spruce firs, 
&;c. are put in for underwood, of which these stripes 
should always be full ; but it is of the greatest ima- 
ginable importance, and the very life, prosperity, re- 
covery, and salvation of these neglected and lost 
sight of stripes, to the putting in a proper selection 
of standel trees, that will be the most ornamental and 
long lived trees, to fill up the blanks, and renew the 
decayed appearance of these stripes. To effect this 
purpose, plant in all the blanks in the outside rows, 
plane, lime, and Scotch firs alternately ; let these 
(together with such of the beech as is already on the 
ground worth the leaving as a standel tree,) be put 
in at distances of 12 feet tree from tree (including 
the beech,) lengthways, and in the interior of these 
stripes, a standel tree of oak, Spanish chesnut, Scotch 
and spruce firs alternately in the gap in the centre of 
the 12 feet outside trees, at 8 or 10 feet, if it can be 
obtained, in the wideness of the stripes from the out- 
side trees, or measured from the inside of the fence, 
supposing the outside trees close on the fence. In 
this case, the standel trees will always stand in a 



174. 



triangular way across the stripe, so that no storm will 
penetrate or injure them ; and the standing trees will 
have always plenty of room, and yet the stripe ap- 
pear always over full. The standel inside trees may 
be shifted a few inches, either one way or other, to 
save the private walk in the centre of the stripe. 
The spruce firs for underwood may be planted at 
distances of six feet. 

Observe, that whatever of the natural shoots of the 
limes are to be reared up for trees in the outsides, 
these are to be taken into account of standing trees ; 
but wherever there is an unthrifty or unsightly beech, 
put in the standel plant to supply its place, and when 
it comes up to have the appearance of a tree, cut 
away the unthrifty beech or other tree. By a careful 
attention to this method, and none other, in a very 
few years these narrow, decrepid, broken down, and 
disgraceful looking stripes, will beam forth in gor- 
geous garments, fringed with ermine, summer and 
winter. 

If allowed to remain much longer in their present 
state, they will soon be extirpated. 

No. LIV. 

Young Plantation, 

From the light and shallowness of the soil, toge- 
ther with the exposure of the plantation, I am of 
opinion it will not rear timber trees to maturity, par- 
ticularly the larch fir, which will grow pretty well 
for the first twenty years or thereby, till they arrive 
at a height of about twenty feet, when the tops will 
most hkely give way. I am of opinion, that the only 
trees that will come to maturity here, will be the 



175 



hardy oak, the plane, and the Scotch elm, even 
these will grow very slow, and be a long thue before 
they come to perfection as timber trees. I would 
recommend as the most profitable for the estate, that 
this plantation be wholly filled up with oaks, and 
converted into a natural oak coppice ; to effect this, 
put in plants of oak at eight feet distant, plant from 
plant, amongst the firs ; the plants to be strong 
well rooted plants, not less than three years trans- 
planted from the seed-bed, and then properly pitted 
in the ground, and cut over close by the surface the 
second spring after being put in ; the blanks annually 
filled up with oaks ; a belt of firs, &c. may be left 
round the outsides, say about thirty yards wide; 
after the oak plants, either by cuttings or otherwise, 
arrive at a height of from six to eight feet, the whole 
of the firs in the interior of the plantation to be cut 
out. In fifteen years after the whole has been filled 
up with oak, the whole of the oaks may be cut over ; 
this cutting may only bring about L.15 per acre for 
wood and bark ; but it will be hastening the whole 
forward for another more profitable cutting, which 
will bring at least three times that sum per acre, at 
the same age ; but I would advise the next cutting 
to be at twenty years old, dividing it into four hags 
or yearly cuttings, which should bring in at least 
L.^OOO every hag or cutting, for time coming. It 
may be advisable in some places of this plantation, 
where the larch firs appear to be the most predomi- 
nant, to allow them to come up to the age of fifteen 
years with the oak, at which age it will be seen what 
sort of trees they are likely to be ; and should it be 
necessary to cut them at this age, the bark will be of 
good quality, and will pay as a crop, though not near 
so well as the oak. 



1/6 



No. LV. 

Old Coppice, 

This bank of coppice is upwards of thirty years 
old, the trees left on it have been most injudiciously 
and erroneously selected for any thing like profitable 
wood, being mostly beech and elm. I beg here to 
observe as I go along, that oak, and nothing else but 
oak, is the only profitable trees for coppice cuttings, 
and wherever such a plan is intended, nothing else 
should be reared. I am of opinion, however, that 
the trees in this part of the bank, as in some other 
parts, should be reared up as standing or ornamental 
timber trees, and for this purpose, nearly the same 
method as in these may be observed, with this dif- 
ference, that it abounds with the natural growths of 
elm and oak from the old stools, and beech from the 
plants ; as the value of all these kinds of trees, say 
ash, elm, and beech, wholly depend on their sizes, 
wherever they are the predominant trees they should 
be cultivated till their timber become valuable ; this 
being the case here, it would by no means be advi- 
sable to cut it over as a coppice at present, even ad- 
mitting the supposition that it was intended to con- 
vert it into that purpose in future. As the natural 
stools of elm, ash, and what of oaks there are, have 
been thinned, so that many of the shoots have died 
altogether, and many more become stinted ; the 
whole of their stools should be immediately gone 
over, and thin away all the dead and dying shoots, 
and such as are evidently hurting each other, leaving 
not more than three of the very healthiest and most 



177 



thriving of the shoots on every stool, and when press- 
ed on the sides by another tree, not more than 
two, in this way rear them up to be timber trees. 
Observe, that what of the oaks require to come 
out, must be barked in their season. If it should 
be thought advisable afterwards to convert this 
into a coppice, after these trees have been brought 
to be of some considerable value, the whole, except 
a proper number of reserve trees, should be cut 
down and the ground wholly filled with oak. I 
must here be permitted to observe, before proceed- 
ing farther, that it is my opinion, from the conspicu- 
ous situation this bank occupies on the estate, from 
east to west, no part of it should ever be coppiced^ 
as the whole of it will carry timber trees for orna- 
ment to maturity, — the sublimely grand and vener- 
able old trees about the house and in this bank, I 
would term perfections of nature's beauty. Continue 
always to rear oak for underwood amongst the large 
trees, to cut every twenty years, both as profit and 
shelter for game. 



No. LVl. 

Approach to the House, 

The trees on both sides of this avenue are, for the 
greater part, very healthy and thriving, some beauti- 
ful spruce, and a few fine larch in the hollow should 
be cherished with care, also all along the top of the 
bank ; on both sides the Scotch and spruce firs should 
be kept up, the greater part of the hard wood cut 

N 



178 



over for underwood, keeping the selection of trees 
to be reared to maturity as timber trees at distances 
of fourteen feet, and in the bottom of the avenue at 
ten feet on each side, lengthways, but fourteen feet 
up the bank ; keeping always a tree in the centre, 
between the two outside ones, in a triangular man- 
ner ; these trees having two sides to branch out, 
will rear up closer than in the interior of the planta- 
tion. In the young clump below the fog house, 
a few of the best larches may stand as timber trees, 
as they will come to maturity in this situation ; 
the whole should be immediately thinned out to dis- 
tances of eight feet, tree from tree, and in five or 
six years after, to sixteen feet, tree from tree, mak- 
ing an equal selection of all the different kinds al- 
ready on the ground, to give variety to its look. The 
soil here being a deep loam, will carry any kind of 
trees. The trees on both sides of the road, up to 
the gate, are already particularly beautiful. It w^ould 
even add to the grandeur of this ravine, if the tops 
of the trees were allowed to fall out and hang over 
the road, forming a kind of canopy ; this may be 
so far accomplished by allowing a tree to press the 
top from the inside, and when plants are to be put 
in, plant them in a sloping direction ; a prop may be 
put in the inside to bear on the top of the tree out- 
wards ; were very tall trees to meet in the tops here, 
it would be sublimely grand in a sun-shine day, as 
the passenger walked under them, or in a moon-light 
evening. 



179 



No. LVII. 

Young Plantations. 

This is a very healthy thriving young clump of 
planting, and from the soil and situation, is remark- 
ably adapted for planting, and will carry trees of any 
description to maturity ; as there is a variety of kinds 
planted, nothing is required but to thin out such as 
are upon the ground, of every kind alternately, to 
twelve feet, tree from tree, except along the top of 
the bank ; wherever there is a choice of trees, take 
away the larch, saving the hardwoods and firs in 
equal numbers in the interior of the bank, to give 
variety to its look, always rearing up hardwood for 
underwood amongst the large trees. In ten years 
after, a selection of fine trees may be made, to be 
thinned out to twenty-four feet, as large ornamental 
trees, and those to be taken out will then be of con- 
siderable value, keeping always the ground full of 
underwood, to be cut over every twenty years, for 
profit, as a coppice wood. 

The bank of older trees to the west of this, may 
be thinned out in the mean time to the same distances, 
and in the very same manner dealt with on the bank. 
The haugh below the bank, on the west end, the 
standing trees, such as are to be reared up for orna- 
ment, may be singled out just now, to twenty-four 
feet a few of the best ash, with which it abounds, 
may be spared in the mean time till their timber come 
to be of use, or as long as they are not injuring the 
standing trees, the other to be cut for underwood. 

In the sliding bank betwixt the two places, put in 



180 



the hoop willow at not more than three feet, and al- 
low them to stand till their roots run together to firm 
the bank, when other trees may be put in ; where it 
is always wet, poplars should be put in and reared up 
as timber trees. I have known poplars planted in 
situations and soils like this, or of a similar nature, 
measuring twenty-five solid feet each tree, and sell 
at L.3 per tree, in twenty years growth. Rear them 
at twelve feet, tree from tree ; one Scotch acre will 
carry about 400 such trees, making a sum of L. 1200 
for one acre in twenty years. 

No. LVIII. 

Young Strip. 

This strip is unfortunately too narrow to serve, as 
it should do, the purpose of ornament and shelter ; it 
is also by far too thick, and if allowed to stand much 
longer, will be the means of killing many of the trees, 
as it keeps them so damp that mortification is apt to 
take place amongst the roots, and kill the whole ; it 
should be immediately thinned out, to at least eight 
feet, tree from tree; when a choice can be made, spare 
every other kind of trees, and take away the larch firs. 
As most of the hardwood is beech, which is not fit 
for underwood, where there is a likelihood of their 
coming to be timber trees, they may be reared up ; 
but where there is no such tree, plant in oaks as well 
for underwood as to be reared for timber trees. In 
thinning for the first time, take particular care to 
have always a tree opposite to each other across the 
strip, to prevent its falling into gaps, say thin in a 



181 



triangular form ; when the trees get from twenty to 
twenty-four feet high, it should get its second thin- 
ning, say, to about sixteen feet, lengthways, always 
spare the most healthy, best, and long lived trees to 
be reared up, and keep the ground full of underwood. 
Larch fir is by no means a proper tree to be reared 
either for shelter or ornament in a narrow strip or on 
a very exposed situation. 

No. LIX. 

Home Plantations near the Mansion, 

The trees here are in a most healthy and thriving 
state, and from the situation they occupy, both as to 
ornament, screen, and shelter, deserve particular at- 
tention, in rearing proper long lived trees. To effect 
this most desirable of all objects, I would advise 
making a selection of the oak, Spanish chesnut, plane, 
beech, elm, ash, Scotch spruce, and silver firs, if it 
was possible to divide them, (although I am aware 
from the state of the plantation, it is not,) to equal 
numbers on the ground, which would have a very fine 
effect on its look, both in summer and winter. Trees 
to be reared for this purpose should be most skilfully 
selected, say marked out, and all others that in the 
least interfere with them taken away, to give them 
room to branch out on all sides ; this should be care- 
fully attended to, year after year, as their branches 
spread out, and if possible, not to bare them more on 
one side than on the other, also to have their branches 
equally spread out on all sides here, and on both 
sides approac^iing round the house, all which should 



182 



be attended to in the same way ; it must not be un- 
derstood that I Kmit any particular distance for these 
ornamental trees to be thinned out just now; I would 
rather prefer keeping them close as otherwise, parti- 
cularly on the exposed sides, taking special care not 
to allow another tree to stand so close as to whip the 
standing tree ; thin gradually out, although it should 
be the work of several years. In determining on 
those trees that are to be reared up, it is most proper 
to keep them in regular distances, and that I would 
in this place circumscribe to be not more than twenty- 
four feet, (when finished thinning,) every way, but 
where having open sides, either one or two ways, they 
may stand closer ; observe, that although I intend 
the trees that are to be reared up to perpetuity, so 
to speak, to stand at regular distances of twenty-four 
feet, yet they are not to be thinned out to this for a 
succession of years^ only a due regard must be had to 
it in first determining on all such trees ; sometimes 
it may so happen that a less tree than its neighbour 
may be selected to stand, and the largest or most 
aspiring taken away ; provided it be equally healthy 
and thriving, as it many times happens, the smallest 
is the best, both as to situation, kind, and figure ; 
sometimes a tree of this kind may be more properly 
toped down than taken out ; as it should be always 
understood that the ground here must be kept full 
of underwood, which should be only reared to go no 
higher than the undermost branches of the large trees, 
and only to keep pace with them ; this is most easily 
effected where the underwood consists of growths 
from stools of oak, elm, &c., as the aspiring shoots 
can be now and then cut away, and the more dwarfy 
allowed to come up on the ground ; however, where 

4 



183 



we are now treading so close to the mansion, the un- 
derwood should consist chiefly of evergreens, say 
laurels, small spruce firs, and such like. Observe the 
trees in this plantation were only about twenty years 
old, and stood at distances of six feet only, tree from 
tree, when the survey was made and the report 
given. 

No. LX. 

General Remarks on the Plantations, from No, JLV, 

I have all along, as I said at the beginning, consi- 
dered the whole of the plantations, in so far as it is 
attainable from the present crops on the ground, to 
be reared up as standing plantations, as inseparably 
attached to the lands, in which respect they add 
(and while kept on it, will ever do so) to the value, 
at least four times more than their intrinsic value as 
timber ; and it is of the very greatest importance 
carefully to propagate them as such. 

I. — It is agreed at all hands, that to have large 
ornamental trees, they must have room to spread 
out, and wherever a thinning out for this purpose is 
suggested, no time should be lost in having it finish- 
ed. 

II. — One chief beauty of a tree is, its being well 
clothed with branches, and it is wonderful to observe 
what nature does for trees in this respect, if they 
have equal room, the equality of their branches is 
truly surprising in healthy trees, even granting that 
one side, which is generally the case, unless in large 
plantations, be exposed to the storm, particularly the 



184 



oak, the Spanish chesnut, the plane, the ash, and al- 
most all the fir tribe ; but the branches of the beech 
and elm will often get sickly on the exposed side. 

III. — Pruning is always detrimental to the health 
and figure of a tree, and the pruning-knife should 
never be put on a tree after it is six feet high ; there- 
fore, when it arrives at this height its every part, 
both as to trunk and top, should receive all the shap- 
ing and pruning that is necessary, or that human art 
or ingenuity can suggest to make it a proper tree, 
whether indeed it be for ornament or profit as a tim- 
ber tree, unless where a branch breaks by misfor- 
tune or dies, by all means take such off close by the 
bole or trunk of the tree. 

IV. — In some of the plantations which I have 
been endeavouring to describe, there has been some 
injudicious pruning ; indeed nothing could be worse 
than to prune healthy branches off fine healthy trees, 
with a mistaken idea, to let up a dwarfish tree, and 
the more so, as there was no use for such a tree in 
the plantations we are amongst ; what is done can- 
not be recalled ; but no such system or practice 
should be upon any pretence whatever allowed in fu- 
ture. 

V. — Observe, that in some of the plantations where 
the pruning has been going on, there are a number 
of these poHsh trees that will chance to stand, should 
these, as they often do, send out a young shoot or 
sucker from the pruned off branch at the bole, be 
sure to allow it to remain if it will, and not pair it off, 
as is sometimes done, and indeed often necessarily 
in other cases. 

VI. - — When layering is to be done, either with a view 
to rear underwood, or for standing trees ; if from oak, 



185 



Spanish cliesnut, elm, or plane, if the plant to be 
layered down is not above two inches diameter at 
four inches from the root, rather than take out the 
half of the root, slash with a knife the plant about 
six inches up from the ground or root, half-way 
through in the under side, say the side you bend it 
to, in order to make it bend down, keeping the bark 
whole on the upper side ; also slashing with a knife 
the shoot you lay on the ground, to make it strike 
root. See this fully explained in my Forester's Guide. 

VII. — In laying down spruce firs, there must be 
no breaking of their bark, and if it can be done with- 
out injury to the roots of the tree on the other side, 
cut the roots on the side to be taken up, at two feet 
from the tree, taking care not to loose the roots on 
the under side, and always bending in the young 
fibres, or roots that come up amongst the earth, care- 
fully covering them over with earth. 

VIII. and Lastly. — I need hardly remark that 
when these plantations are thinned out to the dis- 
tances mentioned, that they will appear thin to the 
look for two or three years at first, the more so, as 
they for the most part have been too long in being 
thinned ; hence, many of the trees are very polish ; 
but the necessity of doing it for the salvation and fu- 
ture prosperity of these plantations, must be obvious 
to every one the least conversant with plantations to 
be reared for such important purposes, and which is 
of infinite consequence to the proprietor. Had the 
greater part of these plantations been made only 
about twelve yards wider at first, and carefully at- 
tended to in rearing, in other twenty years the timber 
would be worth more than the lands they enclose ; 



186 



suffice it to say, that the thinnings should be attend- 
ed to with the greatest skill and activity. 

No. LXI. 

Old Fir Wood. 

The most of this old fir plantation requires thin- 
ning, and if judiciously done, will still improve it y 
notwithstanding its having been most miserably treat- 
ed in thinning, &c. formerly. The method I would 
propose for recovering this plantation, is to go care* 
fully through the whole, and mark such of the firs as 
are injuring each other; also, all such as the other 
tree or trees will be benefited by their being taken 
away, and all the firs that are over-toping and injur- 
ing any hardwood tree, thereby allowing the hard- 
wood to get up, if it is a promising plant ; if it is not, 
and if oak or any such as will grow by cutting, let it 
be immediately cut over ; but in this case, some of 
the firs may even be spared till the young growth 
comes up, and so soon as they begin to injure them, 
cut away the firs. The same method may be observed 
in the corner west from the cross dike, till where it 
narrows into a narrow strip, with this difference, that 
all the healthy tliriving Scotch firs should here be 
saved till the projected young plants, in the field on the 
south side, come up ; here I have been rather more 
sparing of the field than the old line by the plough 
furrow, as the old strip is of sufficient breadth al- 
ready ; I have marked the letter P. thus, on a stand- 
ing tree in the strip, &c. and making the young plan- 
tations of nearly an equal breadth, from the boundary 



187 



dike on the north, al] along westwards to Lord — — *s 
approach gate ; here the whole trees should be spar- 
ed, only taking away such as die, till the young plan- 
tation comes up. It may be here necessary to men- 
tion the method of sale for such thinnings, &c., and 
a reference to this v/ill suffice for other plantations 
of the same description on the estate. 

The only plan to sell wood of this kind, and that 
too attended with the least risk as to payments, is a 
country sale, in a country so populous as this, and 
the best and most profitable method for the proprie- 
tor of effecting a sale is, to mark and number off the 
trees to be sold, with a wood-iroo, putting them into 
lots of from three to ten trees, according to their 
sizes and value, taking special care to have every 
tree marked according to its proper designation, such 
as Lot 1, 2, 3, and so on ; fix on a day of sale, ad- 
vertise it through the country by hand-bills, &c. send- 
ing them to all the coal- works, &c. round, and sell 
each lot by public auction, to the highest bidder. 
Each lot, before the sale, is commonly valued, which 
is absolutely necessary when the lots are large, as | 
well for the satisfaction of the proprietor, as for fix- I 
ing the upset price ; but in the case of the woods be- 
fore us, 1 do not think, for my own part, that it is 
necessary, because having a person who is a judge to 
conduct the sale, he will at once know whether or 
not it brings it« "j^^^e, unless the proprietor wishes to 
be satisfied before hand of the probable value. As 
there may be more to dispose of than supply the 
country demand in one season, whenever this is seen 
to be the case, the sale should be adjourned, for thrae 
months at least ; a good deal of skill and caution is 
required in putting the trees into proper lots, to make 



190 



them take a ready sale, and bring the most possible 
money for them ; and the only plan for this pur- 
pose is, to put all the most valuable trees in lots by 
themselves, and these generally in very small lots; by 
no means mix the good or valuable trees with the 
trash, as useful wood will always have a competition 
of offerers, and bring its value, and oftentimes fully 
more; whereas inferior timber oftentimes does not. 
All different descriptions of timber should be loted 
and sold separately. The whole should be loted and 
sold off standing ; I have always found timber of this 
kind sel] best growing ; besides, being mostly Scotch 
firs, were they to be cut down they would soon spoil, 
and the whole behoved to be sold off at once, whether 
they brought their value or not ; whereas when 
standing, they can be sold or not, as there is or is 
not a demand. The whole must be sold under pro- 
per articles and conditions of sale, binding the pur- 
chaser as to cutting, removing, paying, &c. ; a copy 
of the customary articles, in sales of this kind, will be 
given at the end of this book. 

Another plan, and I am of opinion the most ad- 
vantageous for this plantation, as also for the im- 
provement and value of the estate ; as the greater 
part of the firs are at their best, and indeed have ar- 
rived at that stage of size and growth, at which 
Scotch fir trees, for the purposes they are appHed to 
as timber, is more valuable than i£i'^, iN were of rather 
a larger size, and although they were to stand for 
twenty years longer, they would not be worth one 
sixpence more per tree, supposing the price of fir 
timber to be the same, although I am also doubtful 
if many of them would ever live other twenty years. 
The plan ^vould be to mark off, and reserve the whole 



189 



trees, except such as are dying along the east and north 
outsides, to the breadth of twenty yards or thereby, 
and cut the whole of the rest over, and convert into 
an oak natural coppice wood, that is, fill up the 
ground with oak where there is none, to be cut 
every twenty-four years ; in this way, it will pay an 
annual rent of L.7, 10s. per acre for time coming, 
without any expense of plants or planting, and the 
belts on the outsides will always keep up its look as 
a plantation for shelter, &c. 

Is^o. LXII. 

Strip along the Road Side. 

From about a chain length south of the approach 
road, north to the old wood, this strip consists chiefly 
of old Scotch firs, which in many places want thin- 
ning ; but from the height of the trees, and their ne- 
glected state, there would be the greatest danger in 
doing so, that is to say, thinning, as it would be a 
mean of breaking down many of them with the cut- 
tings and make great gaps in it, which, in some in- 
stances, is already the case ; the most effectual me- 
thod would be to cut the whole down, widen and 
plant it up anew ; but this would make a great blank 
for a long time. I am therefore of opinion it should 
stand as long as it will stand, taking always away the 
dead trees, and continue to fill up the present and all 
other blanks as they become naked, with spruce firs, 
oak, Spanish chesnut, ash, and plane trees ; plant at 
eight feet, plant from plant, thin out at six feet high, 
to sixteen feet, at twenty feet high, to thirty-two 



190 



feet, for large ornamental timber trees ; keep always 
the ground full of oak coppice for underwood, to be 
cut over every twenty years. Thin out the young 
part of it, at the south end, to eight feet, clearing 
away the firs from the hardwood plants. Nothing 
looks worse than strips and belts of planting along a 
public road, when they are permitted to fall into de- 
cay, which is the case with two many of our strips 
and belts of planting about half a century old. 

No. LXIII. 

Young Plantation. 

In this plantation, as well as in all the other young 
new made plantations, there are far too many larch 
firs ; it would be much better to take a great many 
out just now, and put in other trees, to be reared up 
to maturity, as ornamental standing timber trees, 
and thus get a finished plantation at once, rather 
than wait on it. A number of the larch firs will trans- 
plant yet. As this plantation, adding to the old 
belts, will form the whole, when once up into a clump 
or cluster of plantation, or rather a strip or belt, 

which from its proximity to the house of , and 

no other that may be called a plantation on this side, 
it should be reared up full with various kinds of 
trees, particularly such as will become ornamental 
long lived trees ; w^hen the larch firs are taken out, 
as aforesaid, Spanish chesnut should be put in ; here 
I may observe, by the way, that my reasons for re- 
commending Spanish chesnut so much, is, first, be- 
cause it is the most ornamental of all the hardwood 



191 



species, the oak not excepted j second, it grows 
equally as fast, and faster than many of the hard- 
wood trees ; third, it grows to a larger size than 
many, and lives to as great an age as any of them, 
and its timber is as useful and valuable as the oak, 
and its bark nearly so, and upon the whole, it is a 
tree, although not generally known in this country, 
but on the soil we are now treading, it will grow 
equal, if not superior to any other, and will also grow 
natural by cutting, as the oak ; keep the ground al- 
ways full, and thin out for the first time, when the 
trees arrive at a height of from six to eight feet, to 
twelve feet, tree from tree, at which they may stand 
this situation as a finished plantation, keeping a va- 
riety of all kinds of trees on the ground, to be reared 
up, and in connexion with that part of the old strip 
on the north ; always thin the trees to stand in a tri- 
angular form across the strip. This young planta- 
tion vv^as almost wholly of larch only about five years 
planted, which should never be planted in small 
clumps or strips in an exposed situation. 



No. LXIV. 
OLD PLANTATION. 

This Plantation is in Argyleshire, and exposed to the 
Western Ocean, 

From the situation this cluster (or clump, as all 
such arQ' generally termed,) of planting occupies on 
this farm, it is of the greatest consequence to rear it 
up as a standing ornamental clump of timber trees to 



192 



maturity ; in the report it shall be scrupulously at- 
tended to, to effect which attend to the following 
system : On this soil and situation, larch fir is by no 
means a tree for ornament, nor will it ever come to 
maturity here as a timber tree ; this may be seen by 
the dwarfish and unthrifty state of the larch fir trees 
already on the exposed part of this plantation, while 
every other description of the fir tribe is healthy^ 
vigorous, and thriving. In thinning, wherever there 
is a choice, the larch firs should be taken out, and 
every other tree left in preference to it ; this should 
be particularly attended to where there are Scotch 
spruce, and silver firs, as these kinds will thrive and 
live to a greater age than the larch ; besides, they 
are much more ornamental, and afford much more 
shelter in winter ; oak, plane, and ash are the only 
kinds of hardwood that should be reared ; for this 
purpose a careful selection of the best and most pro- 
mising shoots of oak should be made of the natural 
growths from the stools marked off as standards, and 
reared up as timber trees, and the healthiest and most 
thriving of the plane and ash, with a few of the best 
of the beech, should also be marked off as reserve 
trees ; a very careful selection of the above kinds 
should be made, and marked off to stand, the rest cut 
away, and those should be selected at equal distances, 
or as near as can be got, at sixteen feet, tree from 
tree, keeping the outside row next the public road a 
little closer, say about twelve feet, they having room 
to branch out on every side, will do closer. In the 
low part of this clump, where there is nothing but 
larch fir, and w^here, indeed, both the soil and situa- 
tion are better adapted for larch than the high parts 
of it ; here the larch is past its best, and dying, and 



193 



requires to be taken away, and longer lived trees put 
in their places ; and I would advise, as by far the 
best plan, before bringing this plantation to a finish- 
ed state of improvement, to cut out all the larch firs 
immediately ; many of these trees have been spoiled by 
allowing the surface drains to fill up, and the water 
to stagnate above their roots, which has killed 
some, and has been the principal cause of many more 
being blown down ; indeed, neglecting the state of 
the drains, thereby allowing the water to overflow 
the roots of the trees, is sufficient to kill any tree. 
These drains, which appears to me to have been most 
properly and effectually done at one time, should be 
immediately reopened, cleaned out, and the water 
properly let off. I have marked, as I went along, a 
number of trees which should be taken out in the 
high part of this clump, which should be cut im- 
mediately with the larch firs, and in summer, the 
oak shoots that are to be reared up as standing timber 
trees, should be marked off, and the rest of the shoots 
taken away and piled for the sake of the bark ; this 
being done, the thinning properly finished, as afore- 
stated, and the surface ground drained, the whole of 
the blanks at present, with the ground, where the larch 
firs are cut from, should be planted up next season, 
and which should be done with plants of oak, Scotch 
elm, plane, Scotch spruce, and silver firs alternately, 
at eight feet, plant from plant, and when they have 
arrived at a height of from eight to ten feet, thinned 
to sixteen feet, tree from tree, bringing the whole 
into the same distances, at which, in this bare ex- 
posed situation, they may stand as a finished planta- 
tion. As it is properly enclosed, and should always 

be kept so, the ground should be kept full of oak for 

o 



194 



underwood, which may be regularly cut lor coppice ; 
at same time it will be found extremely useful in rear- 
ing up a tree or trees to supply the place of any of 
the old ones that may be broken by storm or other- 
wise destroyed. The oak, natural wood, or coppice 
on this farm is, for the most part, very thriving ; 
where the stools have been partially thinned they 
will require no more till it comes again of age for 
cutting. There are in many places a great deal of 
birch, alder, and even larch firs almost put into the 
very heart of oak stools, which was a most injudicious 
and ruinous method of planting, as they tend to ex- 
tirpate the oak stool, which is by far the most profit- 
able crop j a very great improvement may be made 
in the oak stools before cutting time, both as to wood 
and bark, by going carefully through, and cutting all 
such birch, alder, and larch firs, or any other tree 
that is over-topping or in the least injuring the oak 
stools ; this should be done immediately, particularly 
before the sap rises in the oak, even the fine oak 
stools surrounding the small fields of Auchedroich, 
notwithstanding their easy access, are much annoyed 
with trash of this kind, a few open casts cut through 
some of the marshy places here to let off the surface 
water, would much improve the oak stools before cut- 
ting time, from the descent of the ground this could 
be very easily done ; observe, I do not mean deep 
draining, but only small open casts or ruts on the 
surface, merely to make the surface water run off) 
keep one course, and not lodge amongst and overrun 
all the oak stools ; observe the same through all the 
coppices on this farm where wet. This plantation 
contains upwards of 50 acres, a third part of which 
was a complete bog ; it would not carry a person 
before being planted, and was only surface drained 



195 



when planted, while the trees have made great pro- 
gress, and where the water does not run off the high 
o^rounds over it. The trees have drained it so that 
cattle graze on it in many places, and affords a stub- 
born proof that trees will drain such marshes. 

No. LXV. 

Culnashennaig Farm, Argyleshire. 

The whole of the wood, both planted and natural, 
on this farm, is very healthy and thriving, and had 
the oak coppice stools been thinned in time, it would 
have been equally productive with any wood of the 
kind in Scotland at its age, both as to wood and bark. 
I may here observe by the way, that all oak coppice 
stools should be thinned out the year after being cut 
for the first time, as by allowing the whole of the 
shoots to remain till the age of ten, twelve, or four- 
teen years, the whole becom.es stinted and unproduc- 
tive, and in some cases many of the stools die away 
altogether, and many more never get out of the reach 
of cattle when they are let into the wood ; whereas, 
when thinned in time, the principal shoots get out of 
the reach of cattle before the time of letting them in ; 
early thinning should be most particularly attended 
to. See this fully explained in my Forester's Guide. 
The whole of the woodland on this farm is excellent, 
both as to soil and situation for a natural oak w^ood, 
and nothing will ever pay the proprietor better ; but 
the delightful prospect of this farm, and from its 
commanding eminence, renders it an object more 
worthy of ornament than profit, and nothing in nature 
could more effectually accomplish this purpose, than 



196 



by clothing its face with clusters of standing orna- 
mental timber trees, which, if properly and tastefully 
laid out, would not only add immense beauty and 
value to the farm, but to the whole surrounding 
country for many miles. 

The plan to be pursued with the present crop on 
the ground is, that the trees about and above the 
bridge at the mill, should be singled out to standing 
timber trees, up the river side, on both sides, to 
where the coppice ascends the hill, carefully select- 
ing the best of the trees at sixteen feet lengthways, 
to stand, and as the strip is but narrow on this side 
the river, they may stand at from eight to twelve 
feet the deep way, always taking special care to 
have the trees standing in the gap in a triangular 
manner, so as not to whip each other in the top ; 
where there are stools of oak or ash, two, or not ex- 
ceeding three shoots, may be left, in the mean time, 
particularly, where they hang over the water ; pass- 
ing up the water side towards Garbertmore ; there is 
for a long way nothing but larch firs, and which, for 
the most part, are very thriving at present, but so 
remarkably thick on the ground, that it is altogether 
impossible they can stand much longer in their pre- 
sent state, the ground is so loose about the roots that 
a person could push them out by the root with the 
hand ; when plantations are allowed to remain long 
in this state, mortification often takes place amongst 
the roots, which spoils the whole plantation ; there 
has been some hardwood plants put in here, but these 
are completely extirpated. In this low lying shel- 
tered place where we are now treading, I have no 
doubt but larch firs would come to maturity as tim- 
ber trees, for which purpose a few may be reared. 



197 



although they never will come to be so profitable as 
oaks ; this part of the plantation should be immedi- 
ately thinned out to not more than from eight to ten 
feet, tree from tree, that is, not less than eight nor 
more than ten, and when this is done, a plant of oak 
should be put in betwixt each of the larch firs ; in 
about six or eight years after, another thinning 
should be given, when it must be directed chiefly by 
the healthy and unhealthiness of the trees, leaving, 
as aforesaid, a few of the healthy larch to be 
reared up to maturity in the sheltered places, taking 
out at this time every third larch betwixt each two, 
and put in an oak. The most of the natural oak 
stools on this farm requires a thinning, and if judi- 
ciously done, they will be much benefited by it be- 
fore cutting time, both as to the quantity of wood 
and bark ; they should also be relieved of trash of 
birch, alder, hazel, and larch firs, the same as direct- 
ed in the other two farms. There are also a number 
of ash stools on this farm, as well as on some parts of 
the others, all which should get a considerable thin- 
ning, leaving only three, or not exceeding four shoots 
on one stool, so as their wood may come to be of 
some value as timber by cutting time, and which 
will greatly improve the growth of it, if properly 
managed, relieving them of all trash. The thinning 
of the trees at and above the bridge ; — on this farm 
the cutting of the large firs and other trees in the old 
clump or Barnellian farm, and clearing the oak and ash 
stools of all rubbish and trash, as aforesaid j all this 
should be done before spring, that is to say, before 
the sap begins to rise, say before the first of April, 
when the thinning and barking of the larch firs 
should begin. 



198 



No. LXVI. 

Barnegaul and Gloster Farms, Kintarhert Estate^ 
Argyleshire, 

In different places of these farms are excellent 
land for planting, which would be very productive 
and profitable in wood, and is good for nothing else ; 
but not being instructed to take notice of any new 
land, for the present I will pass it over. On these 
farms there are many unenclosed natural stools of 
oak, which prove to a demonstration that these farms 
have been at one time much better covered with 
wood than they are now ; notwithstanding their un- 
protected state, there are a great many oak stools, 
from which timber trees could be reared as single 
standing trees, and that too without taking a single 
foot of ground from the farm. To have such trees 
in these places, is an acquisition of the very greatest 
importance, not only on the above farms, but on all 
the others ; but particularly here, on the easter part 
of Culnashennaig, taking all these places together. 
From the unenclosed stools which are totally with- 
out and unconnected with any of the coppice en- 
closures or boundaries, two to three thousand trees 
could be reared, say from some of the stools two, 
and not exceeding three trees from any of them, 
which will take little trouble in rearing, besides beau- 
tifying in a superb degree those naked places, they 
will in twenty years be worth at least L.2000 ster- 
ling ; in forty years, upwards of L.6000 sterling, and 
that without taking one foot of land off the farms. 
I beg to call the proprietor's particular and imme- 
diate attention to this ; all that is requisite is, to go 



199 



throLigli such stools, and carefully select the proper 
shoots to be reared up for trees, and cut away all the 
rubbish from off the stool, so as they may get all the 
nourishment possible, and a very great many of these 
that are already far advanced will get out of the reach 
of cattle the first year's growth : But such of them 
as have bad tops and require to be cut over, must be 
enclosed single for three or four years, till they be 
out of the reach of cattle ; this is simple, easily and 
effectually done, by four or six stobs, and these 
warped close with the small prunings of larch firs, 
which will prevent them, for six or eight years, from 
either cattle or sheep ; as there is plenty of this kind 
of rubbish on the farm, two men will do one hun- 
dred of such stools in a day, or nearly so, so that the 
expense is not worth mentioning, and at all stages, 
and every year of their growth, they are adding five 
times more than their intrinsic value as timber, to the 
estate or farms. For the proper method of rearing 
all such, consult my Forester's Guide on converting 
natural stools into standing timber trees. 

No. LX VII. 

' North aud West Belt, 

This belt, commencing at the West Lodge, run- 
ning westwards along the public road side, has been 
thinned ; but I am sorry to say, by no means with 
that care and attention that a belt of trees occupying 
such a conspicuous place for ornament and shelter 
as this does on the estate, ought to have been. Be- 
fore beginning to thin a plantation of any kind, but 



200 

particularly at such an advanced age as this, (as former- 
ly noticed,) a consultation, as it were, should be held 
within the Forester's own breast before putting a 
mark or an axe to any tree in any plantation, deli- 
berately asking himself for what future purpose or 
design is this plantation intended, is it to rear 
trees to maturity, to be cut down in order to bring 
money to the estate, or is it to rear trees to stand 
for generations on the ground, chiefly for orna- 
ment ? And here in all cases, but in the latter case 
particularly, the proprietor should be consulted. 
Here it must be obvious to the most ignorant in the 
profession of forestry, that a different treatment is 
requisite. In so far as the thinning of this belt of 
planting has been proceeded in, I am at a loss to dis- 
cover what has been the design ; sometimes and in 
different places, the most ornamental, long lived, and 
healthy trees have been taken, and a few polish trees 
left that never will be either ornamental or profitable ; 
in many other places the reverse has been the case, 
and upon the whole, the belt has been very careless- 
ly dealt with ; so careless in some instances has the 
cutting been proceeded with, that the very tree cut 
has been allowed to destroy the one it was intended 
to relieve, and apparently without any attempt being 
made to save it. As this belt is certainly very orna- 
mental on this part of the estate, and should be rear- 
ed as such, and trees arrived at such an age when cut 
down cannot be reared up in a lifetime, no one will 
deny that deliberation in marking, and care to pre- 
serve the standing trees in cutting is truly necessary. 
This belt will require to be correctly gone over again, 
and take away the polish trees of ash and oak, such 
as never will come to be trees, and dress up their 

1 



201 



stools for growing, so as trees may be reared up from 
them ; fill up all blanks with Spanish chesnut and 
spruce firs, to give a variety to the look of the belt 
as well as embellishment and shelter. 



No. LXVIII. 

Farm on Dumfries E state ^ Ayrshire. 

The two young stripes of planting on this farm, 
planted in 1815, is at present full and very thriving. 
I am still at a loss to discover the design of planting 
the larch and Scotch firs in small groups across the 
stripe ; had the designer but cast a single glance to 
some of the stripes on this estate planted thirty years 
ago, where the same plan is adopted, it would have 
spoken more than volumes the impropriety of such 
a plan. In almost the whole of such stripes, the larch 
are falling into decay, and the stripes and belts show- 
ing numerous melancholy instances of gaps and 
blanks through them. As I had occasion often to 
observe before, this is not at all a soil nor situation 
for larch firs ; as soon as it can be overtaken, say 
next season if possible, the firs should be thinned out 
ten feet, plant from plant, and oak, Spanish chesnut 
and plane put in betwixt them ; after these plants 
are six feet high, the whole larch firs may be cut, 
but some of the Scotch firs may be reared up. The 
old clump of firs on this farm is dreadfully exposed, 
in which case, nothing can be thinned out of it, but 
allowed to thin itself \ take away the trees as they die, 
fill up blanks with the aforesaid hardwoods. 



202 



No. LXIX. 

— ■ Young Planting, Dumfries Estate, Ayr- 
shire. 

This young planting on the south side of the road 
is filled up with too many larch firs. These are ar- 
rived at a fine height and age for thinning out, and 
planting hardwoods amongst them ; thin them out to 
six feet, and plant in oak, Spanish chesnut, elm, and 
plane betwixt each alternately. Sheep have also 
been in this planting. I cannot pass over this plant- 
ing without noticing a most ignorant method used 
through the whole of the young plantations, of plant- _ 
ing and protecting the young hedges, which is the 
great mean of their never coming to be proper fences ; 
the plan most frequently adopted, at least on the one 
side is, as in the case here, the paling is drove up 
the inside of the hedge, and the hedge is either left 
out next to the field to be pastured, or on the road 
side unprotected, and of course, the hedge is expos- 
ed to cattle and sheep, either treading it down with 
their feet or eating the grass from its roots, either of 
which, particularly the breath and wool of sheep is 
equally ruinous to young hedges. This mode of 
procedure is like a man buttoning his great coat be- 
hind his back to protect his belly from the storm. 
With equal ease and the same expense, the paling 
can be put up betwixt the hedge and the pasture 
field or public road, and then it protects ahke the 
young hedge and the planting. This is one reason 
why so many of the hedges are such pitiful fences on 
this estate, and so full of gaps. 



'203 



No. LXX. 

Fir PlantatioUy Ross-shire, 

This plantation, consisting wholly of Scotch firs, is 
for the most part in a very thriving state, consider, 
ing the little attention that has been all along paid 
to it ; this can only be accounted for from the excel- 
lency of the soil for rearing wood. I may here ob- 
serve, that the whole within the boundaries of this 
plantation, is capable of rearing to maturity almost 
every kind of timber trees. Had it been planted 
with oak in place of Scotch firs, it would by this time 
have been paying the estate at the rate of L.7, 10s. 
per acre of annual rent. And I am perfectly aware, 
that to convert it still into an oak wood, — say to 
cut every twenty-four years as a coppice, it will 
pay better. This could easily be done, by disposing 
of and cutting down the firs, which could be dispos- 
ed of as prop-wood, &c. If such a plan was to be 
adopted, I would recommend that a belt of the firs 
round the outside be left, — say not less than one 
hundred feet wide. This would still keep up the 
look of it as a plantation, and cover the naked look 
of that part of the estate, as well as afford shelter to 
the interior of the coppice, as every inch of the 
ground, besides some more waste land that could 
with propriety and advantage be added, will carry 
natural oak wood as coppice, if I may be allowed 
the term, to perfection. Nothing will ever pay the 
estate better, and that too, producing a regular an- 
nual rental for all time coming, without any ex- 
pense but the first planting with oak, the expense of 
which, the present crop would do much more than 



pay, it being already well enclosed. But let us take 
the present crop on the ground, and here the 
ground, as aforesaid, will carry the first to full ma- 
turity as timber trees, still these will only improve 
and increase in value for forty years, not exceed- 
ing that time, when they will then fall off in va- 
lue, and of course, require to be all cut over ; nor 
will they increase in value to that degree to pay 
any thing like a fair rental for the ground they oc- 
cupy. The rearing up of these trees too will be at- 
tended with some difficulty, from the long neglected 
state of thinning ; still thinning is actually necessary, 
as there is evidently a great many more trees on the 
ground than it can afford nourishment for, so that in 
a very few years the whole will become stinted in 
the growth for want of nourishment, as is evidently 
the case already in some particular places. It is 
therefore necessary, to preserve any thing like a crop 
of thriving trees on the ground, that the whole be 
thinned out immediately, and that this must be done 
with the greatest care and attention, as in many 
places where the ground is so over-burdened, it has 
become so loose, that the trees will be easily blown 
over, so that the cure will become worse than the 
disease ; but to prevent this, the thinning must be 
proceeded with gradually, — say the first thinning, 
take away all the worst and most unthrifty of the 
trees, thinning out to about eight feet, or as near as 
can be, tree from tree. Allow it to stand with this 
thinning for five years longer, when the trees will 
have firmed in the roots, and will admit of another 
thinning, when they may be thinned out to sixteen 
feet, tree from tree, or as near as can be, when the 
thinning will be of considerable value. Take care 
to leave always the most healthy and thriving of the 



205 



trees, at which distance they may stand till they ar- 
rive at maturity ; take away always such trees as die 
before the timber of them be useless. If this plan- 
tation is allowed to stand in its present state much 
longer, — say for a few years, it will extirpate itself, 
as it is plain to a demonstration, that the trees are 
killing each other, and the whole will soon be stinted 
in their growth. The thinning should be set about 
as soon as possible, and proceeded in with the great- 
est caution, skill, and diligence. It is proper to ob- 
serve, that the trees to be taken out should be most 
carefully marked off by the hands of the forester, 
and taken down under his superintendence. If the 
proprietor thinks it advisable to rear the present crop 
after the thinning is finished, a considerable rental 
should be got for the grass of the plantation for cattle 
wintering, which will do no harm to the trees ; but 
no sheep should ever be admitted at any time. 

This part of the plantation, which is wholly of 
Scotch firs, occupies very fine land for rearing wood 
of every description, and from the situation it occu- 
pies it is not so useful either for shelter or ornament 
to the estate as many of the other fir plantations. I 
am therefore fully of opinion it should be turned into 
that which would be most advantageous and profit- 
able for the estate. I am also well aware that the 
present crop on the ground will not be of more value 
to the estate although allowed to stand for eight or 
ten years longer. I must here observe, by the way, 
that there is a certain size that Scotch fir will arrive 
at, when their intrinsic value as timber is as much as 
when the trees have got eight or ten, or more years 
growth, and when they may have arrived at a larger 
size. To explain this, 1 mean when the trees arrive 



206 



at a size proper for prop-wood, when they are rather 
too large for this purpose, and not large enough for 
cutting into deals, then they are only of the same 
value as prop-wood, and indeed scarcely as much, as 
they are only at this state of their growth fit for that 
purpose and nothing else, they are more clumsy and 
cost more in carriage and freight, which rather di- 
minishes their value. To dispose of the wood on 
this plantation just now, it will bring more money, 
and meet with a more ready market, than if allowed 
to stand for ten years longer. The most advanta- 
geous method with this plantation, both for the pre- 
sent and future good profit and advantage of the 
proprietor and the estate, is to sell the present crop 
and plant it up with oak, converting it into a natural 
oak coppice wood, for which purpose it is admirably 
adapted both as to soil and situation, as every inch 
of the ground will carry oak coppice ; it will pay at 
the rate of L.7, 10s. per acre for all time coming, and 
as it is nearljr all well enclosed, there is only the ex- 
pense of planting required. The best and most ad- 
vantageous method of disposing of the present crop 
would be to divide it into lots or haggs of yearly cut- 
tings, say into five or six lots or haggs ; advertise and 
sell it by roup, binding the purchaser to cut and clear 
a lot annually, beginning at the west end, and an- 
nually cutting a lot ; and when cut, plant up with 
oak, marking off these lots in straight lines across the 
narrow way, and then planting up the cut lot, which 
should be attended to yearly after the cuttings. 
There can be a temporary fence run across betwixt 
the cut and uncut planting, to protect the young 
planting till the next lot is cut, and so on throughout 
the whole. Observe, that in planting up the haggs, 



207 

the whole must be planted with oak at eight feet dis- 
tant, plant from plant ; in some of the exposed, or 
very bare places, a larch fir may with propriety be 
put in as a nurse tree betwixt every oak, only till the 
oak gets about six feet high, when the larch should 
be cut out. Before making the sale, it will be pro- 
per to have the lots marked off, and a value put on 
each lot, either for the upset price or for making an 
offer for the proprietor, in case of combination among 
the offerers, and if there is a demand, and likely to 
bring its value, the more lots sold in one year so 
much the better ; should the proprietor think proper 
to adopt this plan, there should not be a day lost in 
advertising and selling the wood preparatory to plant- 
ing. Should the proprietor think it proper to rear it 
up as a fir plantation, it should be immediately thin- 
ned out from eight to ten feet, tree from tree, and in 
five years after, to about sixteen feet, tree from tree, 
and the remaining fir trees allowed to stand to ma- 
turity ; but this plan will never pay the estate one 
pound in seven that the natural oak will do 5 I would 
therefore call the proprietor's immediate and parti- 
cular attention to converting it into an oak coppice, 
kc. 



Experiment Farm, June% 1827, 

Dear Sir, — I have made an attempt to ascertain 
whether the common Scotch oak or the Turkey oak 
bore the greater weight of bark ; which I have com- 
pared with as much exactness as I could, and I hope 
the result will be satisfactory. 



208 



I selected trees of each sort, which to appearance 
had the same chance of growing, — their health, ex- 
posure, and the soil they grew in being the same ; of 
the same age, (16 years,) and each pair admeasuring 
the same over the bark. The common oak bark lost 
seven-eighteenths of its weight when green, in dry- 
ing ; the Turkey oak bark lost eight-eighteenths, and 
weighed, when dry, from one-sixteenth to three-six- 
teenths, or at an average, about one-eight more than 
the common oak bark. 

Wishing to know the relative value of each kind of 
bark, I took 480 grains of the dry bark, and proceed- 
ed to ascertain the quantity of tannin, or the tanning 
principle contained in each kind, by Sir Humphrey 
Davy's method. — See his Elements of Agricultural 
Chemistry, second edition, page 91. 

I found the above quantity of common oak bark to 
contain 36 grains of tannin. And the same quantity 
of Turkey oak bark to contain 28 and four-fifth grains 
of tannin. So that when the common oak bark is 
worth L.9 per ton to the tanner, the Turkey oak bark 
is only worth about L.7 per ton. 

From the above experiment it appears that the 
bark from an acre of common oak is nearly one-tenth 
more valuable than from an acre of Turkey oak. 
Notwithstanding this difference of value, however, I 
am of opinion, that in particular situations, such as 
well sheltered places, where the soil is of a light 
sandy nature, it might be more profitable to plant 
such places with Turkey oak instead of common oak. 
As from the rapidity with which the Turkey oak 
shoots forth, in such situations, above the common 
oak, I would suppose that it might probably turn out 
double the weight of bark. 



209 



I will feel much obliged by , your remarks on the 
above at your convenience, and remain, — 

Dear Sir, 
Your most obedient Servant, 

James Gow, Jun. 

To Mr. Monteath. 

As the Turkey oak has been but lately planted to 
any extent in this country, I have not been able to 
make any experiment on the utility of either its bark 
or timber ; but shall not fail to do so as soon as op- 
portunity offers. In the mean time I consider the 
above letter as too valuable to be withheld from the 
pubhc. It appears that the Turkey oak, in point of 
strength, has the same tannin principles as the Span- 
ish chesnut ; but I am also aware that the Spanish 
chesnut possesses many valuable advantages over the 
Turkey oak, both as an ornamental and timber tree ; 
and it can also be propagated by layering, as the 
common oak, although I have pursued a system of 
layering from the Spanish chesnut for these number 
of years with success, and can give many proofs of 
it ; yet many of the nursery gentlemen, whose judg- 
ment and experience, one would be led to think, 
should incline them to draw a very different conclu- 
sion, will not admit of it. A very stubborn and in- 
controvertible proof of it came to my knowledge a 
few days ago, and which I saw, and may be seen by 
every one : There is on the estate of Riccarton, the 
property of J. Gibson Craig, Esq. about six miles 
west from Edinburgh, a very large old Spanish ches- 
nut tree, which had two bodies or trunks a little above 
the ground, and it is plain had sprung from one root ; 
but one of the sides is now fallen totally into decay; 

p 



210 



at one time it must have girthed upwards of twenty 
feet above the ground ; the healthy part of this tree 
is still sending out most luxurious branches, extend- 
ing upwards of 200 feet round ; many of these 
branches bending downwards to the ground have of 
themselves taken root, and are sending up most beau- 
tiful young trees, one of them, as will be seen by the 
engraving, is a large tree. The aged parent, as if loath 
to leave the princely mansion on the one side, and a 
flower garden on the other, is rearing up a numer- 
ous progeny, and enfeoffing them in the beautiful 
situation they at present occupy, to propagate their 
name to generations yet unborn. I would advise all 
v^^ho attempt to deny the layering system, to go and 
see this tree ; it is also worthy a visit from all the cu- 
rious lovers of trees, and must at once remind tra- 
vellers of the Indian Banjan tree, to which it bears a 
striking resemblance. See an engraving of this pro- 
lific tree in frontispiece* 

Like the fam'd Banjan tree whose pliant shoot, 
To earthward bending, of itself takes root ; 
Till like their mother plant, ten thousand stand 
In verdant arches on the fertile land ; 
Beneath her shade the tawney Indians rove, 
Or hunt at large through the wide echoing grove. 

The care taken to cultivate this tree by the pro- 
prietor and his young family, will very soon enable 
it to stretch its progeny with their beautiful shelter- 
ing foliage round one whole side of the mansion. 

Old Trees West Side the Garden at Prestongrange. 

In this grove of old trees, stands a Spanish ches- 
nut, amongst the largest of the kind in Scotland as 



211 



to its solid contents of timber, and very much akin 
to the fine tree at Riccarton. This is truly a won- 
derful and magnificent tree, having a trunk upwards 
of sixty feet in height, and its uniformity of trunk 
from the ground to the top is exceeded by none in 
the kingdom. 

One curious fact of this beautiful tree, (like the one 
mentioned at Riccarton,) it has of itself sent down 
two large branches across the wall into the garden, 
and by their sweeping the ground, the aged sire has 
been sueing for the right of privilege to enfeoff 
his ofiTspring in the domain of their aged sire. This 
has hitherto been denied, or they would long ere 
this have taken root. I am well aware, now when 
the thing is known, that the noble proprietor will 
give them a place either within or without the garden 
wall, to propagate the name to generations yet un- 
born. The two descending branches could be, with 
the greatest ease, layered out in the garden where 
they now are ; and for my own part, I consider a 
tree of this kind well worthy a place in any noble- 
man's garden. Still should this be thought an in- 
cumbrance, these branches may be twisted out with- 
out the wall, and then layered down. If this is to be 
done, great care must be taken not to twist them out 
when there is any sap in the bark, for fear of twist- 
ing the bark off the branch at any part so as to hurt 
its growth. 

There are a great many very fine trees of this kind 
at Loudoun estate, the seat of the Most Noble the 
Marquis of Hastings ; some of them are large mag- 
nificent trees, rearing their mighty heads to the 
clouds like gigantic and imperishable pyramids, and 



^1^2 

who knows but at this seat of ancient warriors some 
of them marks the birth-day of some great chieftain. 

That larger tree, that of a nut was set 

On his great birth, when all the muses met. 

The dates of planting particular trees or even plan- 
tations, should always be registered and kept on an 
estate ; by this means the ages of large old trees can 
be accurately ascertained. In this case too, the 
plan of having the v>^oods and plantations surveyed 
and valued, as in introduction, is of great use. 

There is on the estate of Braco, in Perthshire, 
the property of James Masterton, Esquire, a won- 
derful and prolific spruce fir, the only one of the 
kind I have met with in all the course of my profes- 
sion. The young mother or parent tree (such a name 
well becomes it) is not yet 16 years of age, and has 
ten of a progeny ; she brought forth her first born 
when eight years old, which is about half the mother's 
height, and every year since she has begotten one, 
and the last two years brought forth twins each 
year ; and by the indication of her branches to catch 
the soil on all sides as they expand, she seems deter- 
mined to be more and more prolific, and with her 
progeny, nursed and clad at her own expense, in 
their beautiful evergreen mantles, bid fair to plenish 
the estate of Braco, 

" Like the famed Indian Banyan tree. 
In Malabar or Deccan spreads her arms, 
Branching so broad and long, that in the ground 
The bending twigs take root, and daughters grow 
About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade, 
High over arched, and echoing walls between — 
There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat. 
Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds 
At loop-holes cut through thickest shade." — Milton. 



S13 



A famous tree of this kind in India, called Cub- 
beer Burr, is much famed throughout Hindostan for 
its great extent and surprising beauty. The Indian 
armies generally encamp around it, and at stated sesi- 
sons solemn J afmuas, or Hindoo festivals, are held there, 
to which thousands of votaries repair from various 
parts of the Mogul empire. It is said that seven 
thousand men find ample room to repose under its 
shade. But to return to our Braco spruce fir, which 
in its growth is certainly one of the greatest curiosi- 
ties in nature. It is planting and rearing up of it- 
self, without the aid of human art or ingenuity, a nu- 
merous offspring, and enfeoffing them in its native soil, to 
perpetuate its name to all time coming. This tree is 
well worth the proprietor's special care, with whom, I 
am glad to see, it is a great favourite, as also of Major 
Elliot, his son-in-law, who is a keen and skilful botanist. 
It is well known to those by whom I have had the ho- 
nour to be employed, that for a number of years past 
I have recommended the layering down of spruce 
firs horizontally on their sides, particularly along the 
sides of private family walks, which makes a most 
beautiful screen, and shelter alike from the summer's 
sun and winter's storm, and withal a most excellent 
ornamental and impenetrable fence against cattle at 
all seasons. Although this was by many (like my 
layering of the oak) laughed at as nonsensical and 
chimerical at first, there are now stubborn proofs of the 
facts on several estates. Let all who doubt it go toRic- 
carton and Braco, and they will there see proofs of it 
without the possibility of a doubt. Nature herself^ as if 
she deemed her generating powers overlooked by the 
slovenly woodman, seems to say, — I here give a free 
and manifest display of what I can do to the scepti- 
cal, and convince them that Monteath, the Forester, 



214 



is right in his ideas of layering down the spruce fir 
as well as the royal oak. Before laying down my 
pen I beg to observe, that before the plantations on 
the estate of Braco were planted, say about sixty 
years ago, there was not a tree to be seen in all that 
part of the country, after passing Dunblane. It was 
then the most bleak and barren part of all Scotland 5 
as will appear from the following anecdote. A gen- 
tleman who was born and brought up in America, 
came on a visit to General Graham at Braco, when 
the plantations were in their infancy, after passing 
Dunblane, he exclaimed in ecstasy — " What a glo- 
rious country this is ! there is not a tree to be seen 
in the whole of it," — the American concluding that 
no country was of use till it was cleared of wood. 
I need not say (as every traveller must have seen it) 
that the woods on the estate of Braco are a very 
great ornament and beauty to this yet naked and cold 
looking part of the country ; and they do infinite 
honour to the memory of the late General Graham, 
uncle to the present proprietor, who laid them off and 
planted them. At the time, he was laughed at as 
making a fruitless attempt to improve, by planting, 
such a cold poor soil ; but his enterprising spirit, 
coupled with his knowledge and abilities, overcame 
every difficulty, and have succeeded in making a 
little paradise where before there was nothing but 
black heath. His name deserves to be revered while 
a tree lives on the estate. I would say to the neigh- 
bouring proprietors of this yet naked country, — Go 
you and do likewise. There are many trees of spruce 
fir on this same estate layering their branches, and of 
themselves sending up fine young trees, some of these 
natural children are 20 feet high, 
January I7, 1829. 



215 



Danhail Moss. On the Estate of Rowallan^ Ayr- 
shire, the property of the Most Noble the Mar- 
chioness of Hastings, Countess of Loudoun, Ba- 
roness 31auchlme, 8^c. 8^c, 

This moss is said to contain 16 acres, and every 
inch of it may be converted into planting land ; all 
that is requisite is, to cut deep open ditches where 
the water cannot be let properly off, and plant 
betwixt these. From the situation of this place, 
there can be nothing better than larch firs ; and I 
beg here to suggest the planting of the whole with 
larch firs, to give variety to its look, especially in 
winter, a few Scotch and spruce firs may be put in 
round the borders, and all the rest larch firs ; these 
larch firs will not only make a soil for themselves, by 
killing the heath and every thing else, but will grow 
most rapidly on this place. The larch firs should be 
planted at 4 feet apart, plant from plant, and these 
may all grow till they are fit for paling, when the 
one-half may be cut out, leaving them at 8 feet 
apart ; when the trees are fit for small roofing, &c. 
another half or thereby may be cut out, leaving the 
trees now on the ground, at 16 feet apart, at which 
distances they may stand to be reared up to maturity 
as timber trees. In this case, the first thinning may 
commence when the trees are at a height of about 
8 feet ; this may be about eight or from eight to ten 
years after planted, at which time this plantation of 
larch firs will begin to pay. The second thinning 
should be when the trees are at a height of from 18 
to ^24 feet, which will be about the age of from 14 
to 18 years, when the thinnings, at this time, will 



216 



pay li'om L.15 to per acre : as the thinnings 
would not sell all in one, two, or even three 
years, so that the second, and even first thinnings, 
must proceed gradually as the timber can be dis- 
posed of to advantage, and the trees will always be 
increasing in size and value, as the thinning goes 
on ; we have still upon the ground, after the second 
thinning, between SOO and 300 trees on each acre, 
which, if allowed to stand till the age of thirty years, 
each tree will be worth from 20s. to 30s. sterling; but, 
suppose them only to be worth 20s. a tree, in such a 
part of the country as this they should bring much 
more, but I say, suppose them only at 20s. a tree ; 
there remains, besides what has been sold off, up- 
wards of L.200 sterling of value of timber on every 
acre. Is not this a profit enough to satisfy the most 
avaricious mind 5 and this is what experience has 
enabled me to say, that I will be bound, the soil and 
situation will produce much more than this estimate. 
Such results I have experienced in my own time. 
As one proof, 1 beg to call to the Most Noble Mar- 
chioness's memory, the larch firs mentioned in the 
Forester's Guide on the estate of Inverary ; these 
trees have been since sold, and far exceeded my es- 
timate of them, and these trees grow on a far less fa- 
vourable soil and situation than this of Danhail moss. 
This moss, I believe, is at present paying nothing to 
the estate ; it is surely worthy of being immediately 
attended to ; it is already enclosed. The price of 
larch fir plants is next to nothing : the whole could 
be planted for a sum not worth naming, and after 
the first three or four years, they will rush up like 
mushrooms, not to mention the beauty and ornament 
It will add to this estate. I should have mentioned, 



as I went along, that after the second thinning, the 
ground must be filled up anew with plants, as the 
larch is not like the oak to grow from cutting ; and 
when the old trees are cut down, the ground will be 
full : thus, there will be always a cutting more or 
less, as the demand for the timber may be. 

Narrow Stripe of Planting on Righill Farm. Es- 
tate of Rowallan, Ayrshire, Siirveyed in April 
1829. 

The eyes of every human being that passes along 
the public road where this stripe joins, must feel hurt 
as if a handful of sand was cast into them, on seeing 
such a narrow circumscribed stripe of planting along 
land so much in want of clothing and shelter ; as it 
must be plain to a demonstration, that every stripe 
or belt of planting put round a farm or field of cold 
bare land of this kind, will be so far from taking any 
thing oiT the rent of the land, by its clothing, warm- 
ing and sheltering the cattle, or even crop on these 
fields, it will add at least 20s. an acre of rent to all 
such fields so sheltered by planting. The cattle 
thrive much better, where warm and sheltered, the 
pasture is more abundant and nourishing, and the 
crop more luxuriant. This stripe should be carried 
up to the next farm, and the whole should be widen- 
ed at least 40 yards in all, with two or three ofisets 
in form of a half-moon, which will add much to the 
shelter and cover of this place. This narrow stripe, 
as might well be expected, is fallen dreadfully into 
decay. As I am now about to enter on the planting 
of new ground, which is much wanted, not only on 



218 



this estate but in all this part of the country, al- 
though it is only on one or two farms that any thing 
like planting new ground has been looked at in this 
survey. Before entering on planting belts, &c. allow 
me to clear up a stigma or unjust aspersion, general- 
ly thrown out by the most of people against stripes 
and belts of planting of this and others I am about 
to speak of, which is as false as it is ignorantly made : 
that is, say they, nothing can ever be got from such 
plantings, that is, they are not profitable. Stripes 
and belts of planting may be ornamental enough to 
an estate, but they pay the proprietor nothing ; hence, 
the most of these stripes are, after being enclosed 
and planted, allowed to stand or fall of themselves. 

It may be necessary, before advising my Lady 
Hastings to plant many such belts, &c. to clear up 
this : let it be most pointedly and particularly ob- 
served, that all such stripes, belts, and clumps, of 
planting that I would suggest to be made on this 
bare estate, is solely to serve and secure the immense 
and infinite advantage of clothing, shelter, and orna- 
ment, and only on such places as they would serve 
this important purpose, should any such be put down. 
Now, for an annual rental from these plantings to 
the estate, I shall suppose that 300 acres would not 
be too much detached as above, throughout Rowal- 
lan estate ; now the thinnings of these, after the first 
ten years will begin to pay the estate something con- 
siderable annually, but these plantings are always to 
be kept full of trees for the purpose they are chiefly 
intended. At fifteen years old, there must be 400 of 
the most promising and best of these trees on each 
acre, cleared of incumbrances in thinning, to give 
them room to gain the ascendency over their neigh- 



219 



boiiring trees, say the underwood. At the age of 
thirty years, 50 of these trees may be cut out, 
which will be a bad growth indeed if they are not 
worth 10s. each, say per acre ; at the end of 
sixty years, other 50 trees may be cut out, which 
will be worth at least L.2 per tree, L.lOO per acre, 
this is L.125 per acre for sixty years growth, and 
upon the same data, there is worth of large trees 

on each acre ; here is L.2 per acre of annual rental 
from the time the plantations were planted, and here 
is the immense sum of L.375 per acre on the ground, 
besides all the young trees still coming up. But sup- 
posing at twenty years old, these woods are brought 
into a regular system of cutting, and the most pro- 
fitable trees for timber being reared as the trees 
to be regularly cut, say the oak, ash, elm, and 
plane, all which, as often as cut, will grow up natu- 
rally from the stool, without any expense of planting. 
Now after having reduced these woods to a regular 
system of cutting, every twenty years there is fifteen 
acres to be cut annually ; from these fifteen acres, 
there may be cut 200 trees of the 400, from every 
acre, and supposing 100 of these to have stood for 
forty years, this, as it is technically termed, one 
year old, and two year olds, then falls to be cut on 
this plan, yearly, 100 trees at twenty years old, and 
100 trees at forty years old off every acre, which 
trees, in a manufacturing district like Rowallan, will 
always bring the highest price, will sell for, on an 
average, and at the lowest calculation L.l per tree, 
which is L.200 per acre, for every fifteen acres which 
will cut from these stripes and belts of planting, an- 
nually, for ever. Now, here is a yearly rental from 
these woods, and will be to all times, of L.3000, and 



that without losing them, in the smallest degree, for 
ornament, shelter, and clothing, as the ground, by this 
plan, is not only always full of young trees coming up, 
but also of 200 old trees on each acre, &c. also full of 
the underwood of Scotch and spruce fir ; which, to 
every unprejudiced person the least degree acquaint- 
ed with rearing wood, they will at once say, that I 
have rather under as over-rated the income j but 
when I say so, I speak from experience, and can 
place the matter beyond the possibility of a doubt. 

The great utility of plantations on this bare estate, 
must be apparent to the most sceptical imagination, 
whether viewed as profit, shelter, clothing, or orna- 
ment; and when once effected, will make a perfect 
paradise of what was before a dreary waste, and by 
their benignant influence over the cold soil, will make 
many fields better worth L.3 or L.4 per acre, of 
yearly rent, than they are at present worth 10s. 

Miilhill Avenue^ Estate of Whitehall, Berwickshire. 

In attempting to replant this avenue, it appears 
that it has been a total failure, from what particular 
cause, it cannot, in looking at it in its present state, 
be precisely determined on. I should suppose it 
may be partly owing to the injudicious manner in 
which it had been planted, and partly owing to cattle 
being too early admitted into it ; but be this as it 
may, the place, as a plantation, has been entirely ne- 
glected, and is in a most miserable state. From the 
situation of this place on the estate, it is of the ut- 
most importance to have a crop of trees on it, and 
ought to be attended to immediately with skill and 



221 



punctuality, in the following manner ; as it is a very 
exposed situation, and at the same time a remarkable 
dry soil, the trees are killed with the blast above 
ground, and are starved for want of moisture and 
nourishment below ground, so that they must of ne- 
cessity die. To remedy these two evils, in the first 
place, cattle, sheep, and horses must be kept out, the 
whole blank ground planted up with larch, and Scotch 
firs, alternately at three feet distant, plant from plant ; 
allow these to grow till they are about two feet six 
inches or three feet high, then cut out every second 
tree, leaving them at a distance of six feet tree from 
tree ; then plant in trees of oak, Spanish chesnut, 
plane and beech alternately ; these will most likely 
come away most rapidly being well sheltered ; but 
should any of them die in the top, cut them over 
close by the surface ; when the whole hardwood 
trees as above, have got two or three years growth, 
and are likely not to go back, the whole of the larch 
firs may be cut out, as it is by no means a situation 
for rearing larch firs to maturity, but a few of the 
Scotch firs may be left to be reared up as standard 
trees ; on the south side a triangular row of Scotch 
firs at twelve feet distant may be reared. Here we 
have a crop of the different kinds of hardwood trees 
as aforesaid on the ground, at six feet tree from tree, 
which is near triple the number to be reared up to 
maturity ; but here it must be carefully observed, 
that the whole ground must always be kept full of 
underwood ; this will be the very life of the trees to 
be reared up to maturity, as it is plain to a demon- 
stration, that the want of it has been the death of the 
old trees now on it, they having all died in the top 
through starvation and want of sap, moisture, and 



nourishment in the roots ; all which a crop of under- 
wood suppHes by keeping the trees warm, and pre- 
serving the moisture amongst and about their roots. 
The hardwood trees then at six feet high, must be 
thinned out, by cutting those over for the growth 
that are to be taken out, leaving the standards, at 
twelve feet, tree from tree ; and when the trees shall 
have arrived at a height of 1§ or 16 feet, thin out 
the standing trees to stand at distances of twenty-four 
feet, tree from tree, at which they may stand as a 
finished plantation ; being much exposed, it will ad- 
mit of no greater distance betwixt the trees ; and 
from the hardwood trees now cut out, there will be 
always an abundant supply of underw^ood, from which 
a standing tree, at all times can be reared up when 
necessary, and it will also afford excellent shelter for 
game, and always maintain a respectable plantation on 
this place, both for ornament and profit, and at little 
expense. The trees of oaks, &c. to be cut out here^ 
must be carefully dressed up for the growth ; also, 
a few of the hardwood plants lately put in, while they 
have sap in the roots, should be cut over and reared 
up. If the aforesaid plan is attended to, there is not 
the least doubt of rearing a permanent plantation 
here, and, I am bold to aver, as good as any on a 
much more favourable place of the estate ; nothing, 
however, but a strict and careful attention to the 
system laid down, and to be followed up, will pre- 
serve it on this exposed and dry situation. From 
this it will be perceived, that a very dry situation is 
most unfavourable to the growth of trees, as they re- 
quire a great deal of moisture ; yet it is wonderful to 
see in many places trees growing almost out of the 



223 



solid rock, still the roots of such trees generally seek 
down to where there is moisture. There are many 
instances of this on the estate of Dunglass, the pro- 
perty of Sir James Hall, Bart. Large trees are to be 
seen in the glen at Dunglass growing out of the solid 
rock, many of which are very great curiosities ; they 
have strong roots, some of them upwards of twelve 
inches projecting from and running down the face of 
the rock for ten or twelve feet to where they receive 
the moisture, the base of the rock being marshy and 
w^et, and some of them washed with a running stream 
of water, &c. 



A METHOD ON EQUITABLE PRINCIPLES FOR VALUING 
WOODS, PLANTATIONS, AND TIMBER-TREES OF ALL 
AGES, AS INSEPARABLY ATTACHED TO AND TO BE 
SOLD WITH THE LANDS ON WHICH THEY GROW. 

That woods, plantations, and timber trees, hold 
a most distinguished place on every estate in the opi- 
nion of every one, but especially of a proprietor, 
none will deny, whether we view them, for ornament, 
screen, shelter, or profit. These are in an especial, 
and infinite degree interesting, where the estate is 
the residence of nobility and rank, and inexpressibly 
so, when occupying the pleasure grounds around a 
mansion, lawn, park, or grove ; so that trees grown 
up to half maturity, and healthy and thriving on the 
pleasure grounds, as they are yearly increasing in 
beauty, size, and value, are certainly (and will be 
considered so by every lover of trees) worth double 
their intrinsic value, as timber, when to be sold to 
the tradesman. The value of all such plantations 
and trees will be infinitely appreciated, when we con- 
sider them in their true light, as the only permanent 
beauties that can adorn the face of nature. Being 
myself a great lover of trees, my zeal may lead me 
to value those occupying a pre-eminent station around 
the mansion of a proprietor, whose stately, gigantic, 
and pyramidal tops are seen from the windows, tow- 
ering to the clouds in magnificent grandeur, much 
higher than the most splendid unnecessary furniture 
of the drawing room. Being once in the drawing 
room of the palace of a noble Duke, in company with 
a noble T^ord, while waiting on his Grace, his Lord- 



2^5 

ship was pointing out to me tlie beauties of the room, 
(which was very splendid,) and adding the immense 
sum it cost, and the time occupied by the artist in 
adorning it ; his Lordship seeing me looking out 
at the window, said, I suppose, Monteath, these 
have no great charms for you, you would rather 
see a good tree ; which brought a reply. Oh ! my 
Lord, yonder is a Spanish chesnut and some lime 
trees, which no doubt are some of nature's favourite 
children, which the revolution of centuries has only 
brought to their present degree of perfection, without 
any expense to the Duke, either of five thousand 
pounds, or one pound. The third part of their years 
will tarnish many parts of the beauties of this room, 
whilst, with these venerable trees, the more years the 
more beautiful, and when drest in their summer robes, 
I say verily, not this princely room only, but Solomon 
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

In my Forester's Guide, first and second edition, 
I have given a method of valuing woods, both natu- 
ral and planted, and timber trees of all sizes, which 
I have the satisfaction and authority of saying has 
been generally useful to the Proprietor, Forester, 
and Merchant, for whom such a system of valuing 
was intended. The difference of opinion among 
those who are generally employed to value woods, 
&c. for the sale of the estates or lands on which they 
grow, is very great. A great many of the persons 
employed to value woods are such as make merchan- 
dise of that article, say wood merchants, these gen- 
tlemen, generally speaking, are very good judges of the 
value of timber when it comes to the timber-yard, and 
particularly those who are in the practice of buying and 
manufacturing growing wood and trees, still the great- 
er part of these valuators proceed upon the supposition 

Q 



of these woods and trees being all cut down at the time 
they are valued, and only value these woods and trees 
at what they would bring were they presently to be 
cut down and lying in the timber-yard. Hence 
many of these valuators do not put as much value 
on young, new made, or even plantations from one 
to ten years old, as would pay the expense of plant- 
ing them. Many of such valuators consider that 
unless the trees in all plantations are arrived at a size 
fit for some saleable purpose as timber, they are of 
little or no value. I have known many valuators 
who were excellent judges of growing woods and 
timber trees, arrived at a size when their timber 
was convertible into saleable purposes, put little or 
no value on young plantations, nay, not so much as 
would pay the expense of planting. Some valuators 
too, have even gone the length of saying, that woods 
and plantations growing on the lands of an estate for 
sale, as they are but a part of the estate, there should 
be no value put on them at all, but just go with the 
lands. Another class of valuators there are, who 
take a sort of general account of the gross number 
of the trees on an estate, and they say they are worth 
a penny each, a sixpence, or a shilling each, &c» 
Hence, we find, that not many years back, many es- 
tates passed into new proprietors hands for little 
more money than the value of the growing wood 
upon them. Such was the case of Callendar 
estate, near Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Tulliallen, Perth- 
shire, and many others. The principles on which 
I proceed in valuing growing woods, plantations, 
and timber trees'^ for the sale of estates, and insepa- 

* By woods is meant here, natural grown coppice, by plantations, 
young plantings, by timber trees, such as are measurable timber, and 
full grown trees. 



227 

rably attached to, and to be sold with the lands on 
which they grow, and which I would reckon on equi- 
table principles, are as follows. 

1st, Take every park, field, den, valley, hill, or 
farm, on which there may be woods, plantations, or 
single timber trees, stating each place distinctly by 
its proper name, known on the estate, or which is in 
the plan, accurately noting down each in a book. 

^d, Natural Woods or Coppices, — Take the 
number of acres, the average number of stools or 
growths on each acre ; if there is a difference of the 
ages, take each by itself i taking the crop in the way 
and manner as is particularly described in the Fo- 
rester's Guide, for valuing natural coppice woods ; 
by this means the value of the crop, as it is at the time 
and age the valuation takes place, stands on the 
ground, may be accurately ascertained ; but some- 
thing more is necessary to be added to the value of 
the crop at present on the ground ; for instance, an 
acre of natural wood, will, when completely full, 
carry 800 stools or roots, and each of these stools 
will produce, on an average, three stems, (see 
this fully explained in Forester's Guide) each of 
these stools is worth three plants, even the very 
year they are cut over, as they grow three times 
faster than from the plant, and are in no risk of 
failure, and requiring to be filled up from time to 
time, as plants are, so that one acre of natural cut 
wood, although newly cut over, is worth, and of 
more value than three acres of new made planting, 
admitting that both wood and planting is enclosed. 
Now granting that the produce of each acre of na- 
tural oak coppice at twenty years, wood and bark is 
worth L.150, and this will be found to be the case 
where the ground is full with 800 stools each acre 



228 

and where the expense of inland carriage is not above 
fifteen shilHngs per ton of bark — See Forester's 
Guide, ten per cent, say L.15 each acre, may rea- 
sonably and equitably be added, between seller and 
buyer, as it is an improvement already made and 
finished on the estate, that will continue to all time, 
without one farthing of expense, of replanting, or 
keeping up, or risk of failure, &c. Also, supposing, 
and even admitting that the coppice or natural woods 
has been newly or lately cut over, if the ground is 
full, as aforesaid, with 800 stools, average on each 
acre, it should be valued, and is well worth to the 
purchaser of the lands, and wdll be a fair and equit- 
able value, between seller and buyer, at fifteen 
pounds per acre. Should the ground not be full 
with the number of stools on the acre, as aforesaid, 
an average deduction must be made, according to the 
number of stools deficient. 

The valuators must observe, that I am taking here 
the most productive coppice, or natural woodlands j 
still it must, and will be admitted, that I am L,30 
per acre under the produce of some natural oak 
woods known in Scotland. See Forester's Guide. 
Of this, however, all valuators, who are acquainted, 
and in the practice of valuing these woods, will ea- 
sily judge, so that when the produce of a full crop 
is less, ^of course, the per centage and value will be 
less also, as natural oak woods, owing to soil and cli- 
mate, are not all equally productive. 

Plantations. Many valuators, (especially those 
dealers in timber already noticed,) pass over young 
plantations altogether, without putting almost any 
value on them. This, however, is by no means fair 
or equitable, as no sooner is a plantation enclosed 

2 



2^9 - ' 

and planted than it is most certainly worth the ex- 
pense laid out in enclosing and planting ; but 1 say, 
that if the situation of a plantation is well chosen and 
enclosed, and the plantation judiciously done, with 
proper plants to suit situation and soil, it is worth 
more, and should be valued at more to the incoming 
proprietor than the bare expense of planting and en- 
closing, &c. Besides, the purpose such a plantation is 
designed to serve on an estate should be taken into con- 
sideration, such, for instance, as if it is to beautify the 
estate, if it is to shelter some exposed fields, or if to 
cover from the view some very unsightly place, or 
even granting it is only for profit alone ; in all of these 
cases, I say, (but some men say no,) it is worth more 
than the mere value of enclosing and planting, as it 
comes into the hands of a new proprietor as an in- 
valuable improvement (in many instances) already 
made on the estate. This I aver, granting that the 
plantation is made solely as to be cut for profit alone, 
it is so soon as made worth at least five per cent, on 
the outlay of expense of planting and enclosing, and as 
the plantation increases in years before the sale of 
the estate, and before the trees come to be valuable 
as timber, an increasing price, according to the health 
and prosperity of the plantation, should be added 
annually, and this more or less, according to the im- 
portant purpose the plantation is to serve on the 
estate, and as the trees increase in life and vigour in 
their growth. Before the plantation comes to be valu- 
able as timber, which will be when about the age of 
15 years, the following table will be an equitable valu- 
ation, always adding the rental of the land, say what it 
would have been worth before being planted, &c. If 
the plantation is full of trees properly selected to suit 



230 



situation and soil, and all healthy, they will be past 
all risk of failure at seven years old, and may be va- 
lued by that time at ten per cent, as under, taking 
always whatever the cost price may have been. 



Vears 


At L .5 per Acre 


At L.4 per Acre 


At L.5 per Acre 


At L.6 per Acre 


if on cost. 


if on cost. 


if on cost. 


if on cost. 




At 5 per cent. 


At 5 per cent. 


At 5 per cent. 


At 5 per cent. 




£ S. 


d. 


£ s. 




£ s. 


d. 


ou A. a. 


1 
X 


3 0 


0 


4. 0 


0 


5 0 


0 


n o 
out/ 


9 
X> 


3 3 


0 


4 4 


0 


5 5 


0 


fj <^ n 
u o u 


o 

O 


3 6 


li 


4 8 


H 


5 10 


3 




'if 


3 9 


4f 


4 12 




5 15 


9 


O 1 o 11 


O 


3 12 


lOi 


4 17 


5i 


6 1 


6i 


/ y 1 1 


6 


3 16 


5i 


5 2 


4 


6 7 


7i 


7 13 3 


7 


4 0 


3f 


5 7 




6 14 


0 


8 0 11 




At 10 per cent. 


At 10 per cent. 


At 10 per cent. " 


At 10 per cent. 


8 


4 12 


9i 


6 4 




7 14 


9i 


9 5 lOf 


9 


5 2 




6 16 




8 10 


3 


10 4 5f 


10 


5 12 


3 


7 10 




9 7 




11 4 11 


11 


6 3 


5* 


S 5 


If 


10 6 


0 


12 7 5 


12 


6 15 


9i 


9 2 


8 


11 6 


7 


13 12 If 


13 


7 9 


4i 


10 0 


11 


12 9 


2f 


14 19 H 


14- 


8 4. 


3| 


11 1 


0 


13 14 


2 


16 9 Si 


15 


9 0 


8i 


12 3 


1 


15 1 


7 


18 2 2^ 



After the plantations are 15 years of age as above, 
tiie crop may be valued as timber trees, as they will 
be fit for some purpose or another at this age, and 
may be valued on the following principle as timber 
trees. 

Timber trees. This includes all measurable tim- 
ber trees, and for the sake of making it plain and 
easily understood, I shall here strike the measure- 
ment of the first description of trees at an average 
of five feet only. Now, if the following method is 
accurately attended to, and the valuators the least 
acquainted with the prices of timber, and the method 



231 



of accurately measuring growing trees, it will be 
found a most equitable and sure valuation. 

Count the exact number of trees in every distinct 
wood, plantation, park, field, or farm, each by itself, 
that will average five feet a tree, taking every 
kind distinctly by themselves, and take the value of 
each kind per foot at the fair market price, say at 
what each kind would sell for delivered at the near- 
est place of sale, after paying expense of carriage, 
&c. say oak, ash, elm, and every other kind ; thus 
having ascertained the number of every kind of tree 
in the different plantations at five feet average mea- 
sure, put down the selling price, and this gives you 
their intrinsic value as they now stand. Now, sup- 
posing this to be a plantation of trees to be cut down 
for sale, this valuation is correct and just, but if such 
a plantation of trees are for ornament, screen, shel- 
ter, &c. &c. to be reared up to maturity as such, and 
the whole in a healthy and thriving state, and yearly 
increasing in size and value, as they naturally will do, 
making annually from one to two feet of timber, and 
supposing them to be oak and elm, or such like trees, 
which will stand a value of 2s. per foot, making iOs. 
per tree, their improving price as young healthy thriv- 
ing trees, past all risk of failure as a plantation, should, 
nor can it be less than ten per cent., as the very first 
year's grov>^th will make them much more valuable, 
and every year they will be increasing in magnitude 
and value, not equal only, but in a degree much more 
than ten per cent. 

The next average of trees should be all those in 
the plantation at ten feet. Now my reason for not 
reducing the whole to one average is, what every one 
the least acquainted with the value of timber knows. 



^32 

that a tree or trees with ten or fifteen sohd feet of 
timber, is worth sixpence more per foot generally 
than those at five feet, as they will answer more par- 
ticular purposes as timber, and as it is most generally 
and well known that young healthy thriving trees at 
from three to twenty feet of timber, will grow faster 
and increase more in size in proportion annually, than 
trees above those sizes, or those having arrived at or 
near their maturity will do, the improving and in- 
creasing price should be, and I would fix it at more 
than trees arrived at or near their maturity or full 
growth 'y therefore the additional or improving price 
for the trees at this, say an average of ten feet, 
should also be ten per cent, added to their intrinsic 
value as timber. 

The next average of the trees in every distinct 
plantation or place should be taken at twenty feet. 
In these sizes of trees the increase in growth is more 
slow, therefore the improving price should only be 
in addition to their intrinsic value as timber, seven . . 
and a half per cent. 

The next average of trees in every plantation or 
place should be all those at forty feet ; and here in 
trees of this size the growth is much more slow, the 
improving price should be only two and a half per 
cent. 

The next description of trees will be all the old 
full-grown trees, and as these may be said to be 
rather fallen off as increasing in value, their intrinsic 
value as timber will be a fair one between parties, 
yet many of these trees, from the conspicuous situa- 
tion they may hold on the estate as beautifying it, 
may be reckoned worth moi e than double their in- 
trinsic value as timber, so much so, that many pro- 



238 



prietors would not dispose of an old tree or trees 
about their pleasure grounds, &c. not for any money. 
All such trees should be considered as amongst the 
natural, and, I may add, the first natural beauties on 
the estate, and valued with the property as an inva- 
luable embellishment. 

Thus having classed or arranged the woods, plan- 
tations, and timber trees in the preceding order, to 
those in the least accustomed or acquainted with the 
valuing of growing woods or timber trees, &c. it will 
be found easy, and they may proceed with accuracy 
and equality between man and man. To new begin- 
ners in the art of valuing growing woods and trees 
of all sorts, I would advise them to consult my Fo- 
rester's Guide, where they will see the method for 
valuing all kinds of growing woods, plantations, and 
timber trees clearly elucidated. Proceeding on the 
principles here and in the Forester's Guide laid down, 
the task will be both easy and true, and will at the 
same time be of great use and advantage to the new 
proprietor of an estate, as by this means he is at once 
made acquainted with the value of his woods, &c. as 
they at present stand, and can accurately ascertain 
their increasing value yearly afterwards. And should 
the person valuing be a judge of the methods of rear- 
ing up and improving woods, plantations, and timber 
trees, and accompanying the valuation of each plan- 
tation, place or farm, with a correct report of their 
state and means of improving all such, either to serve 
for profit, ornament, or otherways, on the estate, it 
will be found, if judiciously done, of most essential 
benefit to the proprietor in future. It is foolish in 
the extreme for proprietors, whether as sellers or 
buyers of estates, to employ persons not proper judges 



^34< 

of these matters as valuators, as both may be losers 
thereby. On the valuation of the woods, plantations, 
and timber trees on sundry estates of late, and which 
I could mention by name, the greatest difference be- 
twixt valuators, as to the valuation, has taken place ; 
in one case no less than about L. 12,000 sterling. 
The one valuator, who shall be nameless, proceeded 
on the principles as herein laid down, and the other 
as a valuator of timber only, the one was about 
L.20,000, and the other only about L.8000. The dif- 
ference arose from the following ; there were on the 
estate about 200 acres of oak coppice, well enclosed, 
and pretty well filled up with oak about seven years 
growth ; all this, except a few old reserve or maiden 
trees, went for nothing with the timber valuator. 
There were also upwards of 100 acres of young plan- 
tations, all well enclosed and thriving, from three 
years old to thirty, all full and well kept ; those of 
the plantations from three years old up to fifteen 
years, were not by the timber valuator valued at as 
much as would pay the plants and expense of plant- 
ing, notwithstanding all of them were most substan- 
tially and permanently enclosed with stone fences, 
and the situations well selected as an improvement 
on the estate ; also those of them from fifteen to thir- 
ty years old were only valued by him as fit for stobs, 
and insignificant stuffy although the trees in many of 
these plantations, being chiefly larch firs, will average 
three feet of sohd timber ; herein lay the greater part 
of the difference. Although the estate was intended 
to be taken at a valuation, I need hardly add, that 
even the lowest valuation did not give satisfaction, 
nor please either of the parties. 

How foolish and how false in the extreme it is for 



235 



a person to value the timber of a tree for the sale ol 
an estate, when it is to be reared up to maturity and 
to stand as ornament, and yearly increasing in size 
both in trunk and top, in the same manner as he does 
it when to be cut down for sale as timber. We shall 
suppose a tree with ten feet of soHd measurable 
timber in its trunk, the said tree having a most beau- 
tiful spreading top, (and growing in the pleasure 
grounds and inseparably attached to the lands,) but 
none of the branches of the top are measurable tim- 
ber, and when the tree is valued for sale, nothing is 
counted on the tops, taking the trunk or measurable 
timber part of the tree as aforesaid, at ten feet, at two 
shillings per foot, is one pound, this is all it is worth 
if cut down as timber, and all it will sell for, the 
branches or tops, as is customary, being allowed the 
purchaser for his expense of cutting down and re- 
moving, &c. goes to him for nothing. Now, suppos- 
ing an estate to be sold at a valuation, and the trees 
valued in this way, it is but evenhanded justice, says 
a selling proprietor, I cut all the tops off the trees and 
leave you only what is valued, and what you are to 
pay me for ; you can ask no more. Only think how 
an incoming tenant w^ould stand appalled to have the 
tops of the trees about his pleasure grounds, (their 
only beauty,) all loped off. No, no, he would at 
once say, I will most cheerfully pay as much for the 
top of yonder tree as its trunk, it is such a perfect 
beauty. The tops of trees occupy more ground than 
their trunk, and to preserve good, proper, and orna- 
mental tops, which is the tree's only beauty, cost the 
proprietor much more expense in rearing than its 
trunk did. In all cases, the tops of trees about the 
mansion of a proprietor, and in the pleasure grounds. 



236 



may be said to be worth as much, that is, as valuable 
as their trunks or measurable part as timber, without 
even taking into view their increasing value as a 
thriving healthy growing tree. 

Were I asked the difference betwixt the value of a 
block or log of timber, (say the ten feet tree just 
mentioned,) when lying in a timber yard, and the 
value of it when growing as aforesaid in some conspi- 
cuous place, and rearing its magnificent and mighty 
head, towering to the clouds like a gigantic and imper- 
ishable pyramid, to propagate and diffuse its fragrant 
beauties to generations yet unborn, I confess I could 
not tell, the more I think of the vast difference, the 
more I am nonplused to say what it really should be. 

Taking this view of the matter, and which will, 
with every lover of trees have its due weight, in ten 
cases out of twelve the tops of all such ornamental 
trees will be, and may justly be considered worth as 
much as their trunk or measurable part, as for instance 
the tree of ten feet just mentioned ; but I do not mean 
to be understood to say that all ornamental trees should 
be valued as such, say double, but 1 say that the in- 
creasing price of all healthy thriving ornamental trees, 
when valued for the sale of the estates upon the prin- 
ciples as herein laid down, I am fully of opinion, will 
be considered as a just and equitable one betwixt 
buyer and seller, and when properly and impartially 
attended to, will be satisfactory to all concerned. 
We may even suppose a case, that the trees are 
only to be valued as timber cut down, and what 
they would sell for as such, and nothing but their 
measurable timber to be taken into the account of 
value. Even taking this view of the matter, the 
very tops of all such trees, or more properly speak- 



237 



ing, the immeasurable timber, which will include 
more than the mere crops, is worth something not 
altogether inconsiderable both as stabs for fences or 
fuel for burning. That of putting an increasing 
value on young healthy thriving trees may be illus- 
trated by the buying of a young horse, for instance ; 
a horse at one or two years old is worth nothing for 
immediate use or work, but in other two or three 
years the horse, if he lives and continues to thrive, 
he is now fit for work, and is at once worth double 
or three times the price paid for him when young. 
Now, young trees are not like a young horse, they 
take no expense in rearing, and even granting the 
plantations are only for profit, whenever they come 
to maturity as timber trees, each tree is worth a large 
sum. This is particularly the case with the natural 
oak coppice woods, although these are newly cut 
over, and worth nothing (in the eyes of some valua- 
tors,) still these grow up without any trouble or ex- 
pense, and a crop is got from their roots in twenty 
years of L.150 per acre, or in some cases of L.200, 
equal to L.7, 10s. of yearly rent. 



A HINT TO LANDSURVEYORS, AND NOT UNUSEFUL TO 
LANDOWNERS. 

Before finishing this miscellaneous manual, permit 
me, with profound respect, to give a hint to that in- 
telligent and respectable body of professional men, 
landsurveyors, which I hope will be both useful and 
interesting to landed proprietors. In another part 
of this work, see page 44, it will be seen that I have 
recommended the propriety and advantage of all land- 
ed proprietors having their lands, &c. surveyed by a 



238 



proper professional person, and a scheme of improve- 
ment and reclaiming of the waste lands on the estate, 
&c. laid down. I beg leave here to give my decided 
disapprobation against a practice that prevails in Scot- 
land, although not known in England or Ireland, 
that is, of employing schoolmasters to measure lands, 
it is by no means out of any disrespect to these ill- 
requited body of men, who are the means of riveting 
the principles on the human heart, that are after- 
wards to govern both church and state, and who de- 
serve better of their country ; 1 know well many of 
these gentlemen can well and accurately measure 
lands, and make a good plan or map, but are no 
more judges of soils, or improving waste lands by 
draining, planting, or reclaiming in any respect, than 
a cow does about a new-coined shilling, and, of course, 
are very unfit judges of such necessary improvements, 
w^hereas a professional landsurveyor is most generally 
less or more a judge of soils, and what mayor may not 
be improvable ; when lands are measured, and a map 
given, the number of acres in each field, as also of 
arable and unarable lands are distinctly marked on 
the plan ; but I have never yet seen a plan or map of 
an estate, (nor is it indeed ever done) where there is 
a description of the different fields or waste lands 
given as to their state and cultivation. Now, what 
would be of the greatest utility and advantage to pro- 
prietors, when the surveyor is on and going over the 
ground, if he were to accompany his plan or map with 
a report and description of every field, but particularly 
the waste lands, and different woods and plantations, 
with the kinds, stating distinctly and accurately, so 
far as their judgment goes, what part of these wastes 
or lands are improveable, and to what purpose they 
can be most profitably converted, and by what 



means, — with the probable expense. When the sur- 
veyor is going over the lands, he can take his notes 
of all such, so that he can bring them briefly into 
such a state attached to the maps or plans, as will be 
of great use and highly satisfactory to the proprietor, 
at little expense, and which will afterwards save him 
considerable outlay. 

A proprietor having a plan or map of his estates 
furnished with these remarks, when judicially made^ 
although he is a thousand miles distant from his pro- 
perty, can give directions and instructions for cul- 
tivating and improving, by planting, draining, kCo 
&c. &;c. this, that or the other part, portion, or so 
many acres of any part of his waste lands he may 
from time to time think proper and advisable, and 
knows something of the probable expense and the 
returns he is likely to have from all such. This is a 
matter of very great importance, and I hope will be- 
come general in future. I have often had to regret, 
and many a time complained of the want of such a 
report when called upon to value the woods, planta- 
tions, and timber trees on the lands of an estate, 
particularly when the property was for sale, and 
when the proprietor put into my hand the plan, he 
supposing it would be of the greatest use to me, 
whereas it was, for want of this very thing, as before 
stated, for no more use to me, nor any other man, for 
such a valuation, than an Aberdeen or Balfast old al- 
manack. 

FINIS. 



PRINTED BY A. BALFOUR & CO. HIGH STREET. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The Author directs the business of Planting of every des- 
cription, whether for ornament or profit ; instructs as to the 
particular plants most suitable to situation and soil ; directs 
their thinning and rearing to maturity ; gives a proper 
system for the recovery of neglected Plantations, and plans 
for their future improvement ; values Woods and Timber 
Trees of all ages, whether these are for cutting down or to 
be sold with the Property ; directs as to the most advanta- 
geous methods of sale, and will undertake the superin- 
tendence of the above objects either by periodical or oc- 
casional visits. — Letters addressed to Robert Monteath, Fo- 
rester, Edinburgh, will be forwarded and attended to. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



